STRATEGIC PLAN

FOR

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

AT DALLAS

Submitted to:

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Austin, Texas

March 18, 2010

   
 Table of Contents

   
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ 1 
INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………...  3  
SYNOPSIS OF UT DALLAS PROFILE .................................................................................................. 3 
PRIOR STRATEGIC PLAN ......................................................................................................................... 4 
VISION STATEMENT ................................................................................................................................... 5 
Description of Targeted Status of UT Dallas ...................................................................................... 8 
Does the Plan Reflect a Change in Direction? ................................................................................. 10 
PLAN TO INCREASE RESEARCH FUNDING AND PRODUCTIVITY .............................. 10 
Faculty Growth Plan ................................................................................................................................. 10 
The Opportunities that Growth Presents for Each School within the University................. 15 
Goals for External Funding .................................................................................................................... 16 
Research Priorities ..................................................................................................................................... 18 
Allocation of Resources .......................................................................................................................... 20 
New Buildings ............................................................................................................................................ 22 
Student Participation ................................................................................................................................. 23 
Technology Commercialization ............................................................................................................ 24 
PLAN TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION ........................................................ 25 
Institution’s Plan to Improve the Quality of Undergraduate Education .................................. 25 
Further Improvements .............................................................................................................................. 27 
Plan to Increase the Numbers of Baccalaureate Degrees ............................................................. 28 
PLAN FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS ............................................................................................... 30 
Existing Doctoral Programs ................................................................................................................... 30 
New Doctoral Programs .......................................................................................................................... 32 
PLAN FOR FACULTY AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT ....................................................... 36 
Faculty Research ........................................................................................................................................ 36 
Faculty Recognition .................................................................................................................................. 36 
Collaborations and Partnerships ........................................................................................................... 37 
New Faculty................................................................................................................................................. 37 
OTHER RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 39 
Research Facilities ..................................................................................................................................... 39 

   
 Library Resources ...................................................................................................................................... 39 
Graduate Student Support ....................................................................................................................... 41 
NATIONAL VISIBILITY ........................................................................................................................... 41 
PERIODIC REVIEW .................................................................................................................................... 43 
NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FUND (NRUF) CRITERIA .................................... 43 
SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 45 
APPENDIX A. COORDINATING BOARD GUIDELINES FOR STRATEGIC PLAN ... 48 
Appendix B. Benchmark (Peer) Doctoral Programs. ........................................................................ 52 
Appendix C. Faculty Recognition: Endowed Professorships and Chairs................................... 55 
 

ii 
 
 List of Tables
Table Title Page

1 Summary of Selected Characteristics of Relatively Small, Top-Tier Public 6

Research Universities (Ranked among the Top 30 Public Universities by
U.S. News & World Report with an Enrollment between 10,000 and 30,000).

2 Comparison of UT Dallas with the Average of the Five Benchmark 7

Universities without Medical Schools from Table 1.

3 Summary of Key Goals for Growth and Research Expansion. 8

4 Plan for Faculty Growth. 12

5 Examples of Outstanding Faculty Members Recruited to UT Dallas 14

Recently and Active in Externally Funded Research.

6 Projected Additional Annual Income from New Revenue Sources in 20

Ten Years.

7 Projected New Annual Expenses in Ten Years. 21

8 Existing Doctoral Programs at UT Dallas. 31

9 Planned Future Doctoral Programs at UT Dallas. 33

10 Summary of Diversity of Doctoral Recipients from FY05 – FY09. 38

11 Summary of UT Dallas’ 10-Year Strategic Goals. 47

iii 
 
 List of Figures
Figure Title Page

1 Enrollment Trends from 2000 to 2009, and Projections for 2010 to 2019. 9

2 Summary of Past Trends and Future Projections for National Merit Scholars 10
Enrolling at UT Dallas Each Fall.

3 Past and Projected Trends in Number of Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty. 11

4 Past and Projected Trends in Federal and Restricted Research Expenditures. 17

5 Numbers of Doctorates Awarded 2000-2001 to 2008-2009 and Projected to 34

2019-2020.

iv 
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has requested strategic plans from each of
Texas’ emerging research universities. The plans should describe the institution’s strategies
to develop into a national research university and address specific issues and questions
specified by the Board. This document presents the plan for The University of Texas at
Dallas (UT Dallas).

The main challenge for the future development of UT Dallas is increased scale. UT Dallas is
not yet large enough in key areas of research and scholarship to be competitive with the
nation’s top research universities. The University, which started just 40 years ago as a
graduate institution, has maintained rigorous admission standards for undergraduates and
established a culture consistent with the goal of becoming a major research university. This
has created an excellent foundation for building a high-quality, research-focused institution.

For more than a decade, UT Dallas has emphasized careful and measured growth in its PhD
programs and research. This growth has been occurring for more than a decade and, at the
current trajectory, UT Dallas should achieve sufficient scale to compete with national
research universities within ten years.

Specific goals for the next ten years, determined based on past growth and expected
continued growth, are summarized on the next page and include the following:

 Increase the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty to 610

 Increase total enrollment to 22,000 students, and increase FTE students to 17,000
students with attention to “Closing the Gaps” diversity goals
 Increase annual research expenditures to $130M (total research), $70M (restricted
research), and $50M (federal research)
 Add new doctoral programs in high-need, high-opportunity areas
 Increase the doctorates awarded from 124 per year (current) to 240 per year
 Increase new National Merit Scholars enrolled each fall from 45 to 75 scholars
 Increase endowment to $400M, plus Permanent University Fund (PUF) assets
 Meet the community’s needs by addressing “Closing the Gaps” goals with emphasis
on producing graduates who become K-12 mathematics and science teachers.

The growth plan for UT Dallas includes a realistic business plan. Anticipated new revenue
exceeds projected increases in annual operating expenses over the next ten years.

Strong demand for top talent in the Dallas-Fort Worth area provides powerful synergy
between UT Dallas and its community. All the essential elements are in place to achieve the
goal of top-tier status – highly qualified students, a research-oriented faculty, an ideal
location, and an appropriate institutional focus. The University of Texas at Dallas will
achieve its goal to become a major, nationally competitive research university if it continues
to grow, expands research capacity, focuses on excellence, and meets regional needs.

   
The table below, repeated at the end of this report as Table 11, summarizes the quantitative
goals for UT Dallas over the next ten years.

AREA PARAMETER FALL 2009 IN 10 YEARS

Students Total Enrollment 15,783 22,000
FTE Enrollment 12,123 17,000
Freshman SAT (1600 max.) 1225 1250
Top 10% Students (Freshmen) 38% 55%
National Merit Scholars 41 75
4-year Graduation Rate 39% 47%
6-year Graduation Rate 61% 72%

Faculty Tenured and Tenure-Track 419 610

Faculty w/ Externally Funded
Research 158 300
Percent of Tenure, Tenure-
Track Faculty w/ Externally
Funded Research 38% 49%

Research Total R&D $ 66M $130M

Restricted R&D $ 37M $ 70M
Federal R&D $ 26M $ 50M

Doctoral Number of Doctoral Programs 30 44

Programs Annual Graduates 124 240

Other National Academy Members 4 10

Annual Giving $14M $50M
Endowment $250M + PUF $400M + PUF
Academic and Research Space 1.7M sq ft 2.5 M sq ft

2 
 
INTRODUCTION
In accordance with Chapter 5, Subchapter G of Coordinating Board rules, as mandated by
House Bill 51, an emerging research university must develop a long-term strategic plan for
achieving recognition as a national research university. This document presents the UT
Dallas strategic plan and provides the information requested in the Coordinating Board
guidelines (see Appendix A for those guidelines).

The University of Texas at Dallas can systematically build scale to become a top-tier
research university. Success involves increasing student enrollment and number of faculty,
increasing externally funded research, increasing PhD production, building the necessary
infrastructure to support growth, meeting the needs of the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
community, and raising private funds. Faculty, students, and staff developed this strategic
plan in a broadly collaborative process. The plan has been reviewed and approved by the
Faculty Senate, Student Government, and Staff Council of UT Dallas.

SYNOPSIS OF UT DALLAS PROFILE

What is now UT Dallas started in 1961 as the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest
and in 1967 was renamed the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies. These precursors to
UT Dallas were primarily graduate education and research centers focusing on science,
technology, and mathematics. The institution’s founders gave the institution to the UT
System in 1969, creating UT Dallas.

Forty years later, UT Dallas continues to reflect its graduate and research institute origins.
Thirty-eight percent of the current enrollment is comprised of graduate students, an
unusually high proportion for a public institution in Texas. Also unusual is the fact that 82%
of all degrees awarded at UT Dallas are in science, engineering, mathematics, and business,
a much greater proportion than at any other public university in Texas. The strong emphasis
on science, engineering, and business is a distinct advantage as UT Dallas builds national
competitiveness in research.

UT Dallas also has a high-quality undergraduate student body. Its average SAT score for
incoming freshmen has typically been among the highest for public universities in Texas.
The number of National Merit Scholars (41 in the fall 2009 freshman class) is competitive
with many of the nation’s top universities; in fall 2008, UT Dallas ranked 25th among all
public universities in the U.S. in the number of National Merit Scholars.

The University is located in one of the nation’s largest and most economically vibrant
metropolitan areas. Dallas-Fort Worth is the only metropolitan area among the nation’s most
productive without a top-tier academic research university. There is widespread recognition
that this region needs and can support Tier One universities.

3 
 
In 2004, the UT System retained the Washington Advisory Group and asked it to assess the
status of UT Dallas and its potential. In its report, the Washington Advisory Group stated
that, “The main obstacle that UT Dallas faces in achieving its goals relates to scale – UT
Dallas is simply too small in terms of the total number of faculty in each disciplinary or sub-
disciplinary area.” The challenge for UT Dallas is to grow and to increase its scale.

PRIOR STRATEGIC PLAN

In 2007, UT Dallas adapted a strategic plan entitled Creating the Future. This current
document represents an update of the 2007 plan and is essentially identical in strategy,
although some specific numbers and goals have been updated. The 2007 plan contained six
strategic initiatives:

1. Tomorrow’s Inventions – Strengthen research, the engine that drives innovation

2. Preparing Students for Tomorrow’s Challenges – Prepare students for a lifetime of

contribution and leadership

3. Managing Change in a Changing Society – Lead adaptation to our changing world

4. Securing the Safety of the Future – Create innovative means of ensuring safety

5. Improving Health and Quality of Life – Contribute to the health and vitality of the
people of the region

6. Making a Great City Even Greater – Interact with the Dallas-Fort Worth
community to strengthen the University and the surrounding region.

The 2007 strategic plan also contained eight imperatives:

1. Build Faculty Size – Increase the number of faculty members

2. Add 5,000 More Students – Increase enrollment by at least 5,000 students

3. Increase Research – Increase research expenditures to at least $100 million

4. Tell Our Story Better – Create a top-quality communications program

5. Increase Private Giving – Emphasize and increase private giving and endowment

6. Increase PhD Graduates – Add new doctoral programs and increase PhD
production

7. Enhance Graduation Rates – Improve student success, retention and graduation

8. Improve Operating Efficiency – Be more efficient and cost effective.

4 
 
The essence of UT Dallas’ strategic plan is to grow the University by adding new degree
programs in critical areas of need for North Texas, recruiting and graduating more students
and more diverse students, hiring more nationally competitive faculty, increasing the
number of faculty securing and participating in externally funded research, building the
necessary facilities and infrastructure, and attracting the required private support.

VISION STATEMENT
The UT Dallas vision statement, approved by the UT System Board of Regents in 2007, is:
To be one of the nation’s best public research universities and one of
the great universities of the world.

The mission statement for UT Dallas, articulated in “Creating the Future,” is:
The University of Texas at Dallas serves the Metroplex and the State of
Texas as a global leader in innovative, high-quality science, engineering,
and business education and research.

The University is committed to (1) producing engaged graduates, prepared

for life, work, and leadership in a constantly changing world, (2) advancing
excellent educational and research programs in the natural and social
sciences, engineering and technology, management, and the liberal, creative,
and practical arts, and (3) transforming ideas into actions that directly
benefit the personal, economic, social, and cultural lives of the citizens of
Texas.

UT Dallas aspires to be a nationally competitive public research university with an eventual

enrollment at full maturity of 25,000 to 30,000 students. This target size was selected
because it is big enough to enable UT Dallas to be competitive with leading public research
universities but small enough to preserve the quality and focus of UT Dallas.

To help define strategic goals and metrics for measuring progress, UT Dallas has developed
a list of benchmark universities and compared its status with this group of institutions, which
consists of relatively small, highly ranked public research universities. Table 1 summarizes
selected characteristics of the twelve benchmark universities. The criteria for inclusion on
this list are: (1) be ranked among the Top 30 public universities by U.S. News & World
Report, and (2) have between 10,000 and 30,000 enrolled students1.

                                                        
1
It is recognized that U.S. News & World Report rankings are subject to criticism, as are all ranking systems.
It is important for UT Dallas to benchmark itself against top-quality, highly regarded, highly research
productive, relatively small public universities. It would not, for instance, be appropriate for UT Dallas to
benchmark against very large institutions such as Ohio State University or UT Austin. It is not UT Dallas’
goal to be this large. The list of benchmark schools in Table 1 is a very strong group of benchmark
universities. If UT Dallas can advance to the point of comparing favorably with this group of benchmark
institutions, UT Dallas will undoubtedly have advanced to the rank of top-tier research university.

5 
 
Table 1.  Summary of Selected Characteristics of Relatively Small, Top­Tier Public Research Universities (Ranked among the Top 30 Public Universities by 
U.S. News & World Report with an Enrollment between 10,000 and 30,000 Students). 

Member, Federally
Ranking Assoc. of Funded No. of No. of
among American Number of Total Research National Doctorates Annual
Public Medical Univ. Tenure-Line Research in in 20064 Academy Awarded Giving
University Universities1 School? (AAU)? Enrollment2 Faculty3 20064 ($M) ($M) Members4 per Year5 ($M)

Virginia 2 Yes Yes 24,541 1,093 $239 $204 30 393 $283

UNC Chapel Hill 5 Yes Yes 28,567 1,278 $444 $392 32 600 $245
Georgia Tech 7 (tie) No No 19,413 868 $441 $258 30 467 $119
UC San Diego 7 (tie) Yes Yes 27,520 892 $755 $464 110 488 $134
UC Santa Barbara 11 No Yes 21,868 781 $174 $106 52 365 $51
UC Irvine 14 Yes Yes 26,984 902 $300 $170 34 370 $74
U Pittsburgh* 20 Yes Yes 27,562 1,369 $530 $422 25 342 $121
Clemson 22 No No 18,317 895 $180 $56 1 145 $95
Connecticut 26 Yes No 24,273 1,170 $106 $67 3 285 $32
Delaware 28 No No 20,500 1,012 $115 $80 8 208 $36
UC Santa Cruz 29 No No 16,615 514 $114 $66 8 131 $51
U Iowa 29 Yes Yes 29,152 1,238 $346 $217 21 413 $115
AVERAGE 16 --- --- 23,776 1,001 $312 $209 30 351 $113
UT Dallas in - No No 15,783 419 $66 $26 4 124 $14
fall 2009 (12,123
FTE)
* Main Pittsburgh campus only                  
1. U.S. News "America's Best Colleges 2010" (fall 2008 data)              
2. IPEDS enrollment, fall 2008                  
3. IPEDS Faculty Salaries 2007-08 for full-time assistant, associate and full professors          
4. The Center for Measuring University Performance, Arizona State University          
5. IPEDS Completions 2007-08                  

6 
 
The average enrollment for the twelve benchmark universities is 23,776 students, and
average total research funding is $312M per year. Since total research funding is imprecisely
defined, a valuable and consistent measure of external research funding support is federally
funded research, which averages $209M for this group of twelve universities. Note that the
“entry level” of research funding for this group is total research expenditures above $100M
and federally funded research above $50M.

Table 2 presents a comparison between UT Dallas in fall 2009 and the average of the five
benchmark institutions without a medical school2. An important difference between UT
Dallas and the group of comparative universities is not only the total number of students but
also the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) students. UT Dallas has a significant number
of part-time master’s students, especially in business. Part-time students represent an
important asset for UT Dallas and its community; as UT Dallas grows, the number of part-
time students is expected to increase, but growth in full-time students should be even faster.
The number of FTE students at UT Dallas highlights the challenge of scale.

Table 2. Comparison of UT Dallas with the Average of the Five Benchmark

Universities without Medical Schools from Table 1.

Average of 5 Benchmark
Universities without a
Parameter UT Dallas Medical School*
Enrollment 15,783 19,342
(12,123 FTE) (19,000 FTE)
Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty 419 814
Total Research $66M $205M
Total Research per Faculty Member $158,000 $252,000
Federal Research $26M $113M
Federal Research per Faculty Member $63,000 $139,000
Doctorates per Year 124 263
Doctorates per Year per Faculty Member 0.30 0.32
National Academy Members 4 20
Annual Giving $14M $71M
*Georgia Tech, UC Santa Barbara, Clemson, Delaware, and UC Santa Cruz

In terms of research productivity, UT Dallas is within reach of the group of comparative

universities on a per-faculty-member basis. Table 2 illustrates that while total annual
production of doctorates is significantly lower than the comparative group, the productivity
is essentially identical when measured on a per-faculty-member basis.
                                                        
2
The presence of a medical school in a university can skew numerous institutional parameters. Because UT
Dallas does not have a medical school and does not need one because of proximity and collaboration with
UT Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas, it is appropriate to focus on benchmarking against universities
without a medical school.

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Description of Targeted Status of UT Dallas

As indicated by the University’s vision statement, UT Dallas aspires to be a major,

nationally competitive public research university. The University plans to maintain its strong
position in science, engineering, mathematics, and business, and to add appropriate degree
programs that have natural affinity with existing programs and represent high-need areas for
the North Texas region. The University currently has a mix of 38% graduate students and
62% undergraduate students, and plans to maintain this general balance.

At full development, UT Dallas expects to have close to 30,000 students. The institution
does not aspire to be larger than this. With 30,000 students, UT Dallas would be large
enough to be able to compete with the best public research universities in America, but
could maintain its focus and emphasis on quality, which are core values to be sustained.

The metrics listed in Table 3 quantify the targeted status for UT Dallas in 10 and 20 years.
More information about how these numbers were developed is provided later.

Table 3. Summary of Key Goals for Growth and Research Expansion.

Parameter Current Target: 10 years Target: 20 years

Student Enrollment 15,783 22,000 28,000
(12,123 FTE) (17,000 FTE) (23,000 FFE)
Tenure/TT Faculty 419 610 800
Staff 2,301 3,500 5,000
Total Research $66M $130M $250M
Restricted Research $37M $70M $140M
Federal Research $26M $50M $100M
Endowment $230*M + PUF $400M + PUF $1B + PUF
Doctorates Awarded 124 240 300
National Academy Members 4 10 25
National Merit Scholars 41 75 100
*Estimated including gifts in hand and not yet deposited into endowment accounts.

Because growth is an essential element of this strategic plan, it is appropriate to examine

whether growth plans are realistic. Figure 1 shows the enrollment trends for the past ten
years along with projections for the next ten years. Over the past five years and nine years,
average annual enrollment has increased as follows:

 Past five years: FTE students increased by 3% per year and total students increased
by 2.5% per year
 Last nine years: FTE students increased by 5% per year and total students increased
by 4% per year

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 25,000
22,000

20,000 18,673
15,783
14,092
15,000

10,000

5,000

Enrollment FTE* Projected Enrollment Projected FTE

Figure 1. Enrollment Trends from 2000 to 2009, and Projections for 2010 to 2019.

The FTE student enrollment at UT Dallas has been increasing faster than total enrollment
because UT Dallas has been adding proportionally more full-time students than part-time
students. UT Dallas is assuming that enrollment will increase by an average of 3% to 4% per
year over the next ten years. At that rate of growth, enrollment ten years hence will be
approximately 17,000 FTE students and 22,000 total students.

Concurrent with growth in enrollment over the past years has been improvement in the
quality of incoming undergraduate students. In the past several years, the mean SAT scores
ranged from 1225 to 1250 (based on 1600 maximum) and often were the highest among
public universities in Texas. Looking to 2019, the entering freshmen class is expected to
have an average SAT (V+M) of 1250. Ten years hence, over 50% of entering freshmen are
expected to graduate in the top 10% of their high school senior class. The University will
also continue to recruit heavily the qualified transfer students from area community colleges.

The 2007 plan also focused on graduation rates for entering freshmen. The current four-year
graduation rate for freshmen is 39% and the six-year rate is 61%; the ten-year plan is to raise
these rates to 47% and 72%, respectively3.

In keeping with this focus on excellence and expansion, UT Dallas has been successful in
recruiting National Merit Scholars. Figure 2 shows trends from recent years and projections
for the next ten years.

                                                        
3
Graduation rates quoted are for first-time-in-college (FTIC) freshmen who enter UT Dallas and graduate
from UT Dallas. The rates would be higher for those who enter UT Dallas and transfer to and graduate from
another Texas public university.

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 80 75
70
58
60
50 41
40
30
20
10
0

Actual Projected

Figure 2. Summary of Past Trends and Future Projections for National Merit
Scholars Enrolling at UT Dallas Each Fall.

Does the Plan Reflect a Change in Direction?

This plan reflects a continuation of long-standing efforts to build an outstanding research

university. The main challenge for UT Dallas is not remaking the culture or changing
direction; the main challenge is continuing to scale up the University in a focused, intelligent
manner.
 

PLAN TO INCREASE RESEARCH FUNDING AND PRODUCTIVITY

Faculty Growth Plan

To compete successfully with leading, relatively small, nationally competitive public

research universities, UT Dallas needs a faculty of at least 600 to 800 members. UT Dallas
plans to increase the number of tenured and tenure-track faculty members from the current
419 faculty members to 610 faculty members within ten years.

Figure 3 provides information on the actual growth in the size of the tenured and tenure-
track faculty over the past several years, and shows planned growth over the next ten years.
To achieve these goals, UT Dallas plans to:

1. Hire 191 net new faculty members to increase the size of the faculty to 610 faculty
members (i.e., “new faculty positions”); and

2. Replace faculty members who leave the University due to retirement, resignation, or
termination (“replacement faculty positions”).

10 
 
 700
610
600
534
500
438
419
400 362

300 279

200

100

Tenured & Tenure Track Faculty Projected T&TT Faculty

Figure 3. Past and Projected Trends in Number of Tenured and Tenure-Track

Faculty.

In the past several years, UT Dallas has experienced a faculty turnover rate of about 3.5%
each year due to attrition. In the next ten years, it is estimated that 159 faculty members will
need to be replaced due to attrition. Thus, UT Dallas will be hiring approximately 350 new
faculty members over the next ten years – 191 “new faculty positions” and 159
“replacement faculty positions” – for an average total hiring rate of 35 per year.

UT Dallas has hired 20 to 40 new faculty members per year during the past decade. The
planned average hiring rate of 35 new faculty members per year is consistent with recent
trends and with the most recent academic year when UT Dallas hired 37 new tenured and
tenure-track faculty members (25 “new positions” and 12 “replacement positions”).
 
Growth is expected across the board, although proportionally higher growth is planned in
the areas in which research, new degree programs, and enrollment are expanding the most.
Table 4 summarizes the planned distribution of new tenured and tenure-track faculty
members within the various schools of UT Dallas. This table also shows in the right-hand
column the anticipated number of faculty members within each school who are expected to
be active in securing and performing externally funded research as principal or co-principal
investigators.

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 Table 4. Plan for Faculty Growth.

Change in Faculty Engaged in

Current Faculty in No. of Externally Funded
School Faculty1 10 yrs Faculty Research in 10 yrs
Arts and Humanities 57 70 +13 12
Behavioral and Brain 42 53 +11 40
Sciences
Economic, Political, and 61 80 +19 40
Policy Sciences
Engineering and 97 170 +73 125
Computer Science
Interdisciplinary Studies2 3 3 - 1
Management 79 107 +28 10
Natural Sciences and 80 127 +47 72
Mathematics
TOTAL 419 610 191 300
1
Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty, census day, fall 2009.
2
Most of the courses in interdisciplinary studies degree programs are offered by other schools.

UT Dallas must not only increase its faculty size, but it must also increase the number of
faculty members who are actively engaged in externally funded research. UT Dallas
currently has 158 tenured and tenure-track faculty members who are principal or co-
principal investigators on externally funded research grants and contracts. In ten years, the
number of faculty members involved in externally funded research needs to increase to 300
faculty members (Table 4).

The productivity on a per-faculty-member basis for the 158 faculty members who are
currently involved in externally funded research at UT Dallas is:

 $418,000 per faculty member in total research expenditures ($66M total)

 $234,000 per faculty member in restricted research expenditures ($37M total)
 $165,000 per faculty member in federal research expenditures ($26M total)

UT Dallas exhibits competitive research productivity for individuals involved in externally

funded research. These data emphasize that the challenge is to support the current
productivity of those who are involved in research and to increase the number of faculty
members who are involved in externally funded research.

To increase the number of faculty members who are actively engaged in externally funded
research from 158 (current) to 300 in ten years will require an increase of 142 faculty
members engaged in externally funded research. The University believes that hiring new

12 
 
faculty members committed to a line of scholarship that involves external funding is a more
practical way to increase funded research than trying to retrain or reorient faculty members
whose established career paths do not involve such funding. To achieve the goal of adding
142 new faculty members who will be involved in externally funded research, 41% of the
350 faculty hires over the next ten years must be active in externally funded research. In the
2008-09 recruiting year, 45% of the 37 newly hired faculty members were in fields where
external research funding is expected. Thus, the hiring pattern in the future does not need to
change from that of the recent past.

The University recognizes that not all faculty members can or should be engaged in
externally funded research. Some fields do not require it, although they are still important to
a robust center of learning. The intellectual merit of research is measured by the quality and
significance of the work done, which can include the education and training of students,
publications, discoveries, intellectual property, new forms of artistic expression, and new
products and services. External research support is most significant in fields of science,
engineering, and medicine where it is impossible to conduct competitive research without
resources to pay for equipment, materials, and personnel such as graduate students and post-
doctoral scholars. UT Dallas will use research dollars as a measure of individual and
institutional vitality in areas for which external resources are necessary to compete
effectively with national research universities and not as a sole measure of excellence.
 
Table 5 provides information on some of the recent successes in attracting senior, research-
active faculty members to UT Dallas. Millions in start-up funds were provided by the UT
System STARS program and the Governor’s Emerging Technology Fund. The University
greatly appreciates this support, which has paid large dividends for UT Dallas and for Texas.

The ten faculty members listed in Table 5 have collectively brought with them or attracted a
total of more than $24M in external research funding in the short time they have been at UT
Dallas.

The University has demonstrated the ability to recruit top researchers in multiple fields. Not
listed in Table 5 are the numerous top-quality recruits in fields that are not traditionally
supported by externally funded research, such as public affairs, business, and the arts. UT
Dallas will continue to recruit top people across all areas of focus, not just in fields with
potential for external funding.

13 
 
 Table 5. Examples of Outstanding Faculty Members Recruited to UT Dallas Recently and Active in Externally Funded Research.

External Research
Name and UT Previous Awards Since
Dallas start date Position at UT Dallas Position PhD school Joining UT Dallas Notable Accomplishments
Myron Salamon Dean, Natural Sciences and Prof. of UC Berkeley $3M Fellow, American Physical Soc.;
(2006) Mathematics Physics, Univ. research area is condensed matter
of Illinois physics
John Hart (2006) Medical Director, Center for Professor, Univ. of $2.1M DoD, NIH President, Soc. For Behavioral and
BrainHealth; Johns Hopkins Maryland, Cognitive Neurology
Jane and Bud Smith Univ. 1983
Distinguished Chair and Cecil
Green Distinguished Chair
Yves Chabal Head, Dept. of Materials Professor, Cornell $2.5M NSF, DOE, 2009 recipient of APS Davisson-Germer
(2007) Science and Engineering; Rutgers 1980 SRC Prize
TI Distinguished Chair in University
Nanoelectronics
Russell Hulse Assoc. VP for Strategic Princeton U Mass $1M UT System, 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics
(2007) Initiatives and Director Plasma Amherst 1975 MTBC
Science and Engineering Physics Lab
Education;
Regents Professor
Mihaela Stefan Assistant Professor of Research Politechnica $450K 2010 NSF Career Award winner
(2007) Chemistry Scientist, Univ.
CMU Bucharest
(1998)
Li Zhang (2008) Head, Molecular and Cellular Professor UCLA 1990 $208K Leader in understanding molecular
Biology, Green Distinguished Columbia mechanisms for oxygen sensing
Chair in Systems Biology Univ.
Denise Park (2008) Distinguished Chair in BBS Professor SUNY Albany >$7 M NIH NIH Merit Award
Regents Scholar, Prof. of BBS Univ. of 1977 AAAS Fellow
Illinois UC
John Oldow (2008) Head, Geosciences Prof. Univ. of Northwestern $1M Specialist in regional tectonics
Idaho Univ.
Ken O (2009) Director TX Analog Center Prof. Univ. of MIT 1989 $4M SRC, DARPA NSF Career Award 1996
TI Distinguished Chair in Florida
Analog Systems, Prof. EE
Michael Zhang Green Distinguished Chair in Professor Cold Rutgers 1987 $3M NIH Recently won 2 NIH challenge grants
(2010) Systems Biology Spring Harbor h-factor ≈ 34

14 
 
The Opportunities that Growth Presents for Each School within the University

Each of UT Dallas’ schools will contribute to the realization of the University’s goals. The
rationale and opportunity for growth in each school are summarized as follows:

 Arts and Humanities: The Arts and Technology Program has experienced strong
growth in enrollment (800 new students in the program in just five years) and
external research funding. In addition, the new degree program, emerging media and
communications, offers major potential for growth and research.

 Behavioral and Brain Sciences: Opportunities exist to expand research in

neuroscience, hearing science, language and speech, psychology, and human
development. Current projects range from earlier diagnosis of autism, learning about
the aging brain, how neuroplasticity changes brain trauma outcomes, and training
families to maximize healthy child development.

 Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences: Significant research opportunities include

experimental/behavioral and public/urban economics, geospatial science,
criminology, and public policy. Education of scholars and leaders for governmental
and nonprofit organizations is a key element of the research strategy.

 Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science: This young school has yet to
implement several of the programs typically found at leading engineering schools.
Recently implemented programs include materials science and engineering,
biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering. New opportunities of
importance to engineering and North Texas include systems engineering and
management, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and environmental
engineering, among others.

 Interdisciplinary Studies: This popular degree program will continue to play a

significant role in undergraduate education, interdisciplinary master’s programs, and
teacher preparation.

 Management: The School of Management is the University’s largest school and one
of the most research-intensive business schools in the nation. Strengths in
quantitative aspects of business systems, such as supply chain logistics, create
opportunity for externally funded research and collaboration with other schools.
Growth will emphasize research, technology, and the needs of DFW-area businesses.

 Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Large growth potential exists at the interface
among physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology in areas such as nanomedicine,
biostatistics, and human genome analysis. The School is also actively pursuing
collaborative opportunities in biomedical imaging with UT Southwestern Medical
Center - Dallas.

15 
 
Goals for External Funding

The University monitors three types of research expenditures: total research expenditures
(all resources committed to research), restricted research expenditures (direct expenditures
from external funds dedicated to research), and federal research expenditures (non-
agricultural, federally supported research from agencies such as the National Science
Foundation and National Institutes of Health). In establishing goals, UT Dallas assumes that
past trends of growth will continue.

Federal research funding is a critical measure of success for a national research university.
Federal research expenditures for UT Dallas were $21M in 2007-08 and $26M in 2008-09.
UT Dallas plans to double federal research expenditures over the next ten years. Based on
recent past performance, federal research expenditures could potentially increase by as much
as 300% (federal research expenditures increased by 300% over the past nine years at UT
Dallas) to $75M, but such strong growth, though possible, is not assumed. The longer-term
goal is to increase federal research expenditures to more than $100M, which would be fully
competitive with top-tier national research universities.

Restricted research expenditures stood at $37M in 2008-09 and have increased by 350%
over the past nine years. Restricted research includes federal research funding as well as
corporate funding and research supported by individuals and foundations, e.g., in health
fields. UT Dallas has historically attracted support from numerous technology companies in
the DFW area, as well as significant private and foundation support for research
organizations such as the Center for BrainHealth. The ten-year goal for restricted research
funding is $70M (90% increase over current $37M), and the longer-term goal is more than
$140M.

Total research expenditures, not including research equipment, were $66M in 2009, which is
320% higher than nine years earlier. The goal in ten years is total research expenditures of at
least $130M (approximately double the current total research expenditures) and eventually
more than $250M.

Figure 4 shows trends over the past few years in federal and restricted research expenditures
as well as plans for growth for the next ten years.

To summarize, the UT Dallas plan for meeting its research goals includes:

 Increase the size of the UT Dallas faculty from 419 (fall 2009) to 610 in ten years,
and eventually to 800 in 20 years.

 Increase the number of faculty who are actively engaged in externally funded
research from the current 158 to 300 in ten years.

 Hire established “star” faculty members in new areas and in areas of growth to
rapidly establish programs and help in recruiting high-quality junior faculty
members.

16 
 
 Figure 4. Past and Projected Trends in Federal and Restricted Research Expenditures.

17 
 
Progress will be monitored each year in terms of faculty hires (number and percent hired in
fields where externally funded research is expected), research grant submissions, research
awards, research expenditures, major research centers, publications, publication citations,
invention disclosures, patents filed, company start-ups or spin outs, undergraduate students
engaged in research, and doctoral degrees awarded.
Research Priorities

The 2007 strategic plan goes into significant detail about specific research areas for
investment. These include investments in existing strengths as well as new areas. In terms of
existing research priorities, UT Dallas has established significant levels of research and
expertise in several areas that warrant increased support, including:

 Analog technology – analog circuit design and simulation from DC to TeraHz.

 Behavioral economics – study of how social, cognitive, and emotional factors
influence consumers, investors, and the overall economy.
 Control theory – control theory enables technologies ranging from robotics to energy
efficiency. In the past 18 months three of the world’s experts in control theory have
been hired, making UT Dallas one of the leading universities in the U.S. in this field.
 Cyber security – data mining, data protection, semantic web.
 Education research – the Texas Education Research Center and Texas Schools
Project support independent, high-quality academic research and program
evaluations through the use of individual level administrative data from Texas state
education agencies as well as other sources of Texas education data.
 Geosciences – techniques to monitor the displacement of oil by water in reservoirs
and tracking of carbon dioxide sequestered in depleted oil fields.
 Geospatial information science – study of geographic information systems, global
positioning systems, and satellite-based remote sensing related to social, economic,
and public health issues.
 Human language interface – speech synthesis, speech recognition and real-time data
extraction.
 Nanoelectronics – electronic materials and devices for beyond-silicon CMOS
technology.
 Nanotechnology –use of carbon nanotubes in structural and chemical applications,
nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, direct destruction of tumors, and improved
contrast for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
 Neuroscience and cognition – development of tools and techniques to diagnose and
treat brain-related conditions ranging from traumatic brain injuries to memory loss
related to aging.
 Serious game technology – first-person cultural training for both defense and civilian
applications based on techniques developed in the Arts and Technology program.
 Space science – design and fabrication of instrumentation, microsatellite systems,
and data analysis tools for remote sensing of environmental changes.

18 
 
The University has several well-established and successful research centers with strong
potential for growth in external research funding:

 Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute for Nanotechnology

 Callier Center for Communication Disorders
 Center for Behavioral and Experimental Economics
 Center for BrainHealth
 Center for Global Collective Action
 Center for Lithospheric Studies
 CyberSecurity Research Center
 Sickle Cell Disease Research Center
 Texas Analog Center of Excellence (TxACE)
 Texas Schools Project
 William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences

As UT Dallas adds new programs such as mechanical engineering, bioengineering, systems

engineering, and emerging media and communications, the University will develop new
areas of research expertise. Recent new hires have already started providing the foundation
for these new research thrusts in:

 Bioinformatics – combining expertise in computer science and biology to develop

core technologies for areas such as individualized health care and systems biology.
 Cognitive neuroscience – using the new technologies of fMRI and PET to
understand how the developing and aging brain functions and how disorders of the
brain might be treated make this one of the most exiting areas of discovery for the
next decade.
 Energy harvesting and energy storage – expanding activities in control theory and
nanotechnology to advance the capture of wind energy and the storage of electrical
energy.
 Medical devices – bringing together analog technology, microfluidics, silicon
devices and biology to create new classes of medical devices for diagnosis and
therapy, ranging from cancer to neuroscience.
 Mobile media – combining activities in arts, technology, and emerging media to
develop mobile internet advances that drive electronic social networking.
 Neuro-engineering – developing new technologies based upon advanced
understanding of the nervous system hold the promise of treating such diverse
problems as Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.
 Polymer chemistry – organic polymers used for innovative applications such as
flexible computer displays, structural materials, consumer products, and biomedical
devices.
 Systems engineering – adding to expertise in supply chain management, logistics and
computer science to develop analytical models and tools for engineering and
managing large projects.

19 
 
Allocation of Resources

UT Dallas has calculated the cost of expansion and compared this cost with projections for
new revenue. Current funding levels from general revenue appropriations and current tuition
and required fees for students are assumed to scale with inflation over time.

The projected new annual income and expenses ten years hence, expressed in 2009 dollars,
are summarized in Tables 6 and 7. Projected new annual revenue in ten years is $115M,
which exceeds the projected new annual expenses of $105M. Projected income and
expenses are in balance. The business model is solid – growth in enrollment and research
will produce proportional growth in faculty and provide the financial means to pay for the
overall growth plan.

Table 6. Projected Additional Annual Income from New Revenue Sources in Ten
Years.

Projected New
Source of Additional Income
Increased Enrollment
Technology
Commercialization
Additional indirect cost income
from increased research
National Research University
Fund
Research University
Development Fund
Research Development Fund
Income from Increased
Endowment
Start-up (STARS) funds from
UT System
TOTAL
Annual
Comments
Income
$69M New income from general revenue
appropriations and tuition/required fees
resulting from growth; does not include
tuition set-aside for financial aid or fees
dedicated to student services, athletics,
housing, dining, and other non-
academic or research related functions
$3M Licensing fees and income from
ownership stake in start-up companies
$12M Based on planned growth of federal and
industry-sponsored research
$10M An estimate of potential income from
this new fund
$7M Assumes that total research will
increase by $70M over ten years and
continuation of the RUDF program
$4M Estimated based upon research growth
$7M Based on planned growth of $150M in
endowment, at 4.75% return
$3M Assumes that this program will
continue
$115M

20 
 
 Table 7. Projected New Annual Expenses in Ten Years.

Projected
New Annual
New Expense Comments
Expenses
New faculty members, support $67M Assumes growth to 610 tenured and
staff, and operating costs (staff, tenure-track faculty members and an
instructional resources, labs, increase in enrollment to 22,000 total
equipment, IT, security, students – cost determined by scaling
utilities, and building current expenses to reflect growth
maintenance)
Research support staff $3M 25 new individuals such as instrument
technicians, computer support staff, and
research scientists
Student support (merit based $10M Increased enrollment will require
scholarships for undergraduate additional student support and increased
students and fellowships for engagement of undergraduates in research;
graduate students) growth in need-based aid is separately
budgeted from financial-aid set-aside
Start-up costs for new faculty $8M Assumes $500,000 per faculty member for
an estimated 16 new faculty members per
year engaged in externally funded research

Increased library staff support $3M Assumes additional 30 staff members to

(does not include increases for support enhanced library research capacity
library acquisitions, which are
paid from a separate fee)

Debt service for new buildings $14M Assumes that debt service for two-thirds
of all new academic and research space
required (400,000 sq ft) would be paid by
UT Dallas.

TOTAL $105M

21 
 
The principal source of new revenue is derived from enrollment growth. In fact, enrollment
growth drives the business plan. If enrollment growth is faster or slower than projected, the
need and ability to hire faculty, start new programs, construct new buildings, etc., is
increased or decreased. The planned growth over the next 10 years is similar to growth over
the past 10 years.

As noted in Table 6, $69M of new income from enrollment growth does not include student
service fees, athletic fees, room and board, and other auxiliaries. UT Dallas assumes that all
these services will scale up as more students enroll, that new residence halls will be
constructed, etc. Students will benefit from a larger university because they will have a
broader array of facilities, many more student organizations and services, and more “college
life” opportunities from which to choose.

In terms of expenses, UT Dallas currently spends about $160M per year to operate the
University. This includes not only salary and fringe benefits for faculty members, but also
support staff (teaching assistants, graders, instructors, administrative support staff,
information technology support staff, maintenance personnel, police force, etc.), operating
expenses (computers, printers, supplies, postage, phone, utilities, etc.), and building
operating and maintenance costs. As UT Dallas grows, it will enjoy the associated
economies of scale – it will still need just one president, one provost, one engineering dean,
etc. The aggregate of new annual operating costs (salaries, benefits, operational expenses,
and building maintenance costs) is estimated to be $67M, determined from scaling the
$160M of current costs for increases in faculty, students, staff, and space.

Cost containment is very important at UT Dallas and will become even more important in
the future. Emphasis has been given to promoting a culture of improved efficiency under the
“Lean University” program. This program finds efficiencies by examining processes that
require multiple steps and/or people and eliminating unnecessary or wasteful steps.
Implementation allows improved productivity and reduced unit costs.

New Buildings

Expansion of UT Dallas will require new academic buildings, classrooms, and research
space. Currently, UT Dallas has about 1.7M gross square feet of academic, classroom, and
research space. Although growth may produce economies of scale and, hence, fewer square
feet per student or faculty member, those efficiencies will likely be offset by the need for
more research space for new faculty members who are replacing departing faculty members
who were less active in externally funded research. Therefore, it is assumed that growth in
students, faculty, and staff will require proportional growth in space. The estimated space
need 10 years hence is an additional 764,000 gross square feet of new space.

UT Dallas currently has two major academic/research buildings in the planning or

construction phase:

22 
 
  The Arts and Technology Building, 96,000 square feet, paid for by UT System PUF
funds and scheduled to open in 2013

 The Mathematics, Science and Engineering Teaching Center (MSET), 74,000 square
feet, paid for by UT System PUF funds and scheduled to open in 2010.

These two buildings reduce the need for new space by 170,000 square feet to 594,000 square
feet. UT Dallas is also in the process of adding additional leased space to address near-term
needs until new buildings are finished and renovations to existing space are completed.

It seems reasonable to assume that over the next ten years the State of Texas will authorize
and fund at least one new building through tuition revenue bonds (TRBs). Further, it seems
reasonable to assume that over the next ten years the UT System will authorize and fund at
least one new building through the PUF. Hopefully, additional construction funding will be
realized from both the State and UT System, but it is believed that the worst case over the
next ten years would be one building from TRBs and one from the UT System PUF. At a
minimum, these two buildings should total at least 194,000 square feet, reducing the
remaining unfunded building need for academic and research space to 400,000 square feet.

For the purposes of due diligence in this business plan, it is assumed that UT Dallas would
have to borrow the money to pay for debt service on the remaining 400,000 square feet of
space needed for new academic and research buildings. Construction costs in 2009 dollars
are conservatively assumed to be no more than $500 per square foot (and probably less),
which would make the total construction program less than or equal to $200M. Currently,
UT Dallas makes an annual payment of about 7% of the funds borrowed to repay long-term
debt for buildings. This would require an annual payment on $200M of debt service equal to
$14M (see Table 7).

Increases in annual operating and maintenance costs for buildings, which currently average
about $6 per square foot per year, are included in the $67M increase in annual cost in the
first row of Table 7 to reflect growth in the total amount of space on campus.
Student Participation

UT Dallas currently offers a number of programs that enhance student opportunities to

participate in research at the undergraduate level. These include:

 Undergraduate Research Scholar Award Program - UT Dallas strongly

encourages student engagement in the research work of the University by awarding
undergraduate students research scholarships. Awards are made on a competitive
basis and consist of a cash stipend of $500 paid to the student, as well as an award of
$300 to support the research project (e.g., laboratory equipment, poster printing,
project travel, etc.). For 2009, 54 undergraduate students received awards. UT Dallas
expects to double the number of awards by 2012 and expand the program over time.

23 
 
  Collegium V Honors Program - The University offers a four-year comprehensive
program of enrichment and recognition, known as Collegium V, for outstanding
students. Students graduating from Collegium V must complete a senior project or
senior thesis based upon research in a laboratory or under the supervision of a faculty
member. A number of students have participated in research through internship
opportunities on and off campus, including undergraduate programs sponsored by
Los Alamos National Laboratories, Sandia Labs in Albuquerque, NASA in Houston,
and UT Southwestern Medical School. Students have also engaged in research for
think tanks in Washington, D.C., such as the American Enterprise Institute, the
Heritage Foundation, the Middle Eastern Institute, and Justice at Stake through the
Bill Archer Washington Internship Program.

 Green Fellows Program - Offered jointly by UT Southwestern Graduate School of

Biomedical Sciences (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/graduateschool/index.html)
and UT Dallas, the Green Fellows Program provides a semester-long intensive
research training experience that leads to an understanding of the planning,
discipline, and teamwork involved in addressing basic research problems in the
biological sciences. Green Fellows pursue individual research projects under the
direction of the graduate school faculty at UT Southwestern.

 The Clark Summer Research Program - First-time freshman who receive an

Academic Excellence Honors Scholarship or National Merit Scholarship may apply
for one of twenty Anson L. Clark Summer Research Program positions awarded
annually. This program provides the opportunity to work with members of UT
Dallas' science and engineering faculty for a period of ten weeks for $2,000. At the
conclusion of the program, each scholar summarizes his or her research and presents
it at a University-sponsored research conference.
 
 Disciplinary Academic Honors - Each school offers qualified students the
opportunity to participate in an honors program within their discipline. All students
must have completed a minimum of 30 graded semester credit hours to qualify for
major honors. Most programs require students graduating with honors to complete an
undergraduate thesis under the supervision of a faculty committee. This includes
chemistry, biochemistry, mechanical engineering, software engineering, computer
engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science.

Technology Commercialization

The University of Texas at Dallas believes that research should benefit society and that
technology commercialization is integral to maximizing this positive impact. To that end,
the University reorganized its technology transfer operations in 2008, creating the Office of
Technology Commercialization (OTC) to begin establishing UT Dallas as a leader in
technology licensing, start-up creation, and industrial collaboration. Under the leadership of
a new Associate Vice President for Technology Commercialization, the office has

24 
 
established a customer service-oriented culture focused on educating faculty and facilitating
the movement of technology from the lab to the marketplace.

In the two years since its inception, OTC has nearly doubled the number of invention
disclosures received (28 in FY08 to 53 in FY09), patents filed (26 in FY08 to 44 in FY09)
and created four new start-up enterprises, with several more start-up candidates in the
development pipeline. In collaboration with the UT Dallas Institute for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship, OTC hosts quarterly Research and New Venture Showcases to highlight
the synergies between faculty research and local high-tech companies and conducts
Entrepreneurship Boot Camps to educate faculty members and graduate students in the
basics of developing a new business. In addition, OTC has developed relationships with
entrepreneurs, investors, and legal counsel forming a network of experts who assist in the
evaluation and commercialization of University technologies.

The developing commercialization culture at UT Dallas has already produced tangible

benefits to the University. The visible focus on technology commercialization has enhanced
the attractiveness of the University to entrepreneurial faculty recruits, with several recent
hires citing UT Dallas’ commercialization philosophy as a key reason for joining the faculty.
In addition, the University’s growing reputation as a capable and uncomplicated collaborator
with industry has allowed UT Dallas to enhance its research funding from sources including
SBIR and STTR grants and the State’s Emerging Technology Fund, which would otherwise
be inaccessible to a university. As the University grows, it will continue to enhance its
technology commercialization infrastructure with the goal of commercialization becoming
an integral and seamless component of the UT Dallas research enterprise.

The University of Texas at Dallas currently makes a small amount of space available within
the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory for start-up companies and is
finishing out several thousand square feet of new space for this purpose. Over time, UT
Dallas anticipates that a research and commercialization park will likely emerge on or near
campus, funded either by the University or private interests. Given the focus of UT Dallas
on research, and the intense concentration of technology companies in North Dallas, the
opportunity for commercialization of technologies and the creation of new companies from
UT Dallas’ work and people is very high.

PLAN TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION

Institution’s Plan to Improve the Quality of Undergraduate Education

UT Dallas plans to expand and enhance its programs designed to provide high-quality
undergraduate education to an increasing number of Texas’ best high school graduates.
These students arrive at UT Dallas both as first-time-in-college freshmen and as highly
qualified community college transfer students. The strategies that underpin this plan range
from merit-based scholarships designed for academically stellar freshmen to programs for
students of potential who were not adequately prepared in high school to programs for
community college transfer students. Through these varied programs, UT Dallas is
committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages diversity. In all cases, this plan
25 
 
focuses on recruiting and retaining able and ambitious students who are attracted to the
challenges of our rigorous and innovative curricula and instruction.

The profile of undergraduate students at UT Dallas includes successive freshmen classes

that rate among the best in Texas. UT Dallas also places a specific priority on the
recruitment and successful graduation of transfer students. This plan continues the 2007 goal
of improving four and six-year graduation rates for freshmen. Today, the four-year
graduation rate for freshmen is 39% and the six-year rate is 61%; the ten-year plan is to raise
these rates to 47% and 72%, respectively.

Merit-based scholarships are a major component of the UT Dallas recruitment strategy. The
University’s Academic Excellence Scholarship Program awards financial aid based on high-
school records of rigorous curriculum, grades and class rank, and SAT/ACT scores. Awards
range from $2000 offsets for tuition and fee charges to full coverage of tuition and fees,
housing, and living expenses. The highest level of these scholarships is designated for
National Merit Scholars. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recognizes
UT Dallas as a collegiate sponsor, and National Merit Finalists who list UT Dallas as their
first choice with NMSC receive eight semesters of full conventional scholarship support
plus support for international study. The Academic Excellence Scholarship fund contains
specific allocations for students recognized by the National Achievement Scholarship
Program, conducted by the NMSC. Similarly, UT Dallas recognizes students identified by
the National Hispanic Honor Awards Program through The College Board. A similar,
separately funded, merit-based scholarship program is reserved for transferring community
college students with excellent academic records.

Two other scholarship programs, funded with endowment and foundation support, operate in
concert with the Academic Excellence Scholarship Program: the Eugene McDermott
Scholars Program and the UT Dallas Terry Scholars Program. Students eligible for these
programs are subject to extremely extensive evaluation criteria including evaluations of
service and leadership attributes.

Comet Connection, an innovative program designed to help transfer students by allowing

them to lock in UT Dallas tuition at today’s rates, now has partnerships with all 50 Texas
public community colleges, as well as with the two private community colleges in the state.
Created to help students and their families budget for college, Comet Connection guarantees
four years of fixed tuition and fees and other enrollment benefits at UT Dallas. University
recruiters actively promote this program with recruitment publications, direct mail and
placement staff at community colleges.

The Academic Bridge Program, started in 2000, recruits urban high school students with
high class rankings who may nonetheless be lacking exposure to the full college preparation
curriculum. SAT scores for these students are typically in the 1000 range. In a typical
entering class of Academic Bridge students, 65% are Hispanic or African-American; most
are first-generation college students. These students graduate from UT Dallas at a rate
higher than state or national averages. This program received exceptional item funding

26 
 
during the last legislative session, and has an ongoing effort to raise private support.
Students are eligible for scholarship and other assistance.

STARRS (Supporting the Transition to Achieve Recruiting and Retention Success), a new
program for students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, aims
to help underrepresented students navigate and succeed in traditionally challenging
engineering and computer science courses at the University. The program’s components
include scholarships, mentoring by established students and industry partners, and a head
start summer program that allows students to complete six to seven hours of coursework that
applies toward their degree requirements or prerequisite classes in the summer after their
high school graduation.

The Multicultural Center under the direction of the Office of Diversity and Community
Engagement has also been involved in meeting the “Closing the Gaps” goals. The Comet
S.T.A.R.S. (Success through Academic Resources and Support) program was created in
2006 for first-year students and especially targets students who are members of
underrepresented groups. This program is designed to increase academic success and
encourage campus involvement through peer-to-peer mentorship. Each year, students are
paired with qualified upperclassmen to provide them with academic support and positive
role models of successful college life. Although the formal mentorship lasts one year, the
bond formed is often maintained throughout the protégés’ academic career.

As these programs evidence, UT Dallas is committed to providing leadership in the

“Closing the Gaps” effort particularly in many of the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) disciplines, which are core strengths of the University. Among the
programs and opportunities described here, Academic Bridge, the Comet Connection,
STARRS and the Terry program address gaps in access and means to college attendance,
and provide focused, concentrated mentoring to students who are at greater risk of failing to
graduate. The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement has also developed pre-
college initiatives targeting underrepresented student populations from area high schools.
The goal is to maintain the caliber of undergraduate students whose academic performance,
persistence, graduation rates, professional and graduate school placements, and vocational
success are among the best of all Texas institutions of higher education.

Further Improvements

The Office of Distinguished Scholarship is a resource available to all UT Dallas students.

The Office is committed to helping students realize their fullest intellectual potential and
compete at the highest levels for academic grants and scholarships. It publicizes scholarship
opportunities, recruits potential candidates, and works closely with candidates as they
complete the often-arduous application process. In addition, the office is committed to
communicating with students, beginning in their freshman year, about their personal
academic and career goals, and aiding them in the development of their intellectual persona
over the course of their undergraduate years. In recent years, UT Dallas undergraduates have
received distinguished awards including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the Barry

27 
 
Goldwater Scholarship, the Fulbright Fellowship, the Marshall Scholarship, the Critical
Language Scholarship, the Boren Scholarship, and the National Institutes of Health –
Oxford Cambridge Scholarship.

The Office of Student Success and Assessment (OSSA) promotes continual improvement of
education and research by providing students with a diverse array of academic strategies and
by collaborating with other UT Dallas schools and departments toward enhancing program
and unit assessments. OSSA offices, classrooms, and a multi-purpose computer lab are
centrally located within the UT Dallas Conference Center and include the GEMS Lab, Math
Lab, and Writing Center.

Gateways to Excellence in Math and Science (GEMS) is UT Dallas’ comprehensive plan to

enhance the quality of student learning in mathematics and science by providing students
with innovative, intensive, and active learning experiences both inside and outside the
classroom. The project targets success, retention, and persistence in gateway math and
science courses that play a critical role in influencing student decisions to continue studies in
degree programs heavily grounded in mathematics and the sciences as well as to continue
their college careers. GEMS involves a series of interventions, including curriculum
alignment and realignment, course redesign, new course design, the introduction of new
modes of curriculum delivery, and faculty development. The overall objectives of GEMS
are to provide a foundation and locus for sustainable faculty and administrative activities
that will (a) increase the retention of students in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) fields; (b) decrease the number of 'D' grades, 'F' grades, and
withdrawals in STEM classes; and (c) create supportive, engaging learning opportunities.

The Office of Educational Enhancement leads, coordinates, and supports the University
initiatives related to assessment, faculty development, instructional technology, and distance
education campus-wide in key areas of UT Dallas' mission and strategic plan for students,
faculty, and staff through policy, processes, and professional development in collaboration
with the campus community for continuous evaluation and improvement.

The Math, Science, and Engineering Teaching Center is a $29 million facility set to open in
fall 2010. It will provide a focused, high-quality education environment for math, science,
and engineering undergraduate students.

Plan to Increase the Numbers of Baccalaureate Degrees

 
As noted in the preceding discussions, UT Dallas continues to have a dominant institutional
profile in science, engineering, and business. Current and planned efforts to further increase
the numbers of graduates in critical fields are based on still more intensive recruitment of
students for the existing degree programs and, concurrently, the development of new degree
programs in the science and technology areas.

28 
 
Some new undergraduate degrees that have been initiated or are in preparation include:

 Actuarial Science (Active)

 Arts and Technology (Active)
 Biochemistry (Active)
 Biomedical Engineering (In Preparation)
 Biophysics (In Preparation)
 Geospatial Information Sciences (Active)
 Mechanical Engineering (Active)
 Neuroscience (Active)

The University has placed major emphasis on providing the additional math and science
teachers that Texas schools urgently need. This is occurring through partnership with the
UTeach program. UTeach Dallas is devoted to recruiting, developing, and retaining a new
generation of math, science, and computer science teachers. The UTeach program affords
students the opportunity to explore the profession of teaching math, science or computer
science with little time and financial commitment beginning their freshman year.

The University is actively engaged in research that focuses on enhancing undergraduate

education and the preparation of students for careers in teaching science and mathematics.
Faculty members have been successful in obtaining external funding for these efforts.
Examples of recent awards include:
 
 $250,000 from the UT System through Transforming Undergraduate Education
grants to support projects ranging from a Digital Calculus Coach to a peer-led team-
learning program that creates small-group learning environments in demanding,
large-enrollment gateway courses.
 $740,000 from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program in support of
UT Dallas science and mathematics majors preparing to be public school teachers.
UTeach Dallas also receives support through grants from the National Math and
Science Initiative, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, the Greater Texas Foundation,
and Tellabs.
 $500,000 from the O’Donnell Foundation was received in December 2009. Half of
this grant is unrestricted in support of UTeach operating expenses. The other half is
designated to the UTeach endowment and was given to help match a $1 million
challenge grant by the National Math and Science Initiative.

29 
 
PLAN FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
Existing Doctoral Programs

Table 8 lists UT Dallas’ existing doctoral programs, their implementation date, and the
average annual graduation number based on a three-year average. At present, UT Dallas
offers 30 doctoral programs, including 29 PhD programs and one Doctor of Audiology
degree.

UT Dallas has breadth in strong doctoral programs; the top five graduate-producing
programs span three schools. The two most productive programs in terms of degrees
awarded are computer science and management science. Electrical engineering boasts high
graduate output as well, averaging 10.7 graduates annually the last three years.

Faculty productivity in the two most productive programs is high. Faculty published 125
journal articles (or two per year per tenure/tenure-track faculty member) in FY 2007 during
which they also received over $17M in external funding. Computer science core faculty
secured more than $3M in grants for FY08 and 71% of full-time students receive financial
support. Meanwhile, management science financially supports 98% of its full-time students
and boasts a 100% employment rate for all graduates since 2004, a time-to-degree rate of
just 4.3 years, and an annual average of 21 student presentations at major conferences.

The Coordinating Board’s responses to three-year and annual progress reports of UT Dallas’
doctoral programs regularly commend persistence rates, student performance, overall faculty
productivity, and financial support. However, a common weakness that has been identified
across many doctoral programs is ethnic diversity. UT Dallas has made an institution-wide
commitment to increase student and faculty diversity with the recent establishment of the
Office of Diversity and Community Engagement. Programs at all levels are expanding
recruitment efforts of underrepresented students and are also engaging in post-enrollment
retention support programs with the Vice President of Diversity and Community
Engagement.

Quality Control. UT Dallas has ten doctoral programs that average fewer than two graduates
per year for FY 2006, 2007, and 2008; however, four of those ten programs have not yet
been in existence for six full years. As noted by the Coordinating Board staff in letters
regarding UT Dallas’ third-year or annual progress reports, the newer programs are
exceeding initial enrollment projections and have quality faculty productivity. In addition, a
recent policy change to the graduate catalog that reduced the minimum number of hours to
graduate with a doctoral degree (from 90 to 75) will assist graduate output for all doctoral
programs. For the six older, low-producing programs, an in-depth analysis by the Provost’s
Office in consultation with the School deans and program heads will be conducted
throughout this spring to determine if any programs can and should be consolidated. UT
Dallas will consider issues of cost, need, and current enrollment to develop action plans to
increase productivity for programs the University wishes to retain.

30 
 
 Table 8. Existing Doctoral Programs at UT Dallas.

Annual Average Projected

Date Graduates Graduates
Program Name Implemented FY06-08* in 2019
Geosciences 1969 7.7 4
Physics 1969 4 6
International Management Studies 1974 3 3
Management Science 1974 13 15
Mathematical Sciences - Applied 1974 1.3 3
Mathematics
Mathematical Sciences - Statistics 1974 1.7 3
Humanities 1975 3 4
Public Policy and Political Economy 1975 9 13
Chemistry 1983 7 8
Computer Science 1983 18.3 15
Humanities - Aesthetic Studies 1983 4.3 8
Humanities - History of Ideas 1983 1 3
Humanities - Studies in Literature 1983 4.3 6
Electrical Engineering 1990 10.7 18
Electrical Engineering - 1990 1.7 3
Microelectronics
Molecular and Cell Biology 1991 3 6
Audiology (Au.D.) 2001 8 8
Computer Engineering 2002 1 3
Software Engineering 2002 0 3
Telecommunications Engineering 2002 2 3
Economics 2003 2 8
Political Science 2003 2.3 9
Cognition and Neuroscience 2004 5.7 7
Communication Sciences and 2004 5 6
Disorders
Psychological Sciences 2004 1.3 4
Public Affairs 2004 11.7 18
Geospatial Information Sciences 2005 0 6
Materials Science and Engineering 2006 0.3 6
Criminology 2007 1 8
Biomedical Engineering 2010 new 4
TOTAL 133.3 211
* Three-year trailing average.

31 
 
Quality Enhancement. In order to sustain a program with the potential of national
prominence, faculty members supporting the program must be engaged in research, actively
publishing, or contributing other creative or scholarly works. Scale also is a major factor in
building stronger programs, and as UT Dallas hires more faculty who, in turn, perform more
and better research, the overall strength of doctoral programs will improve.

Faculty members submit annual reports to the Office of the Executive Vice President and
Provost detailing, among other achievements, their research productivity and publications.
The reports are used by department heads, deans, and the provost to identify faculty whose
performance level does not match that of the program’s general performance level, and any
such faculty members are offered mentoring and other support services. In addition, the
Office of Research offers faculty assistance in writing grant proposals.

In addition to faculty productivity that promotes student involvement in research projects,

UT Dallas will also benchmark its programs against national peers as discussed later.
Finally, as discussed below, UT Dallas will regularly evaluate the overall effectiveness of
each doctoral program using both a formalized external review process and an internal
dynamic assessment process.

Comparison with National Peers. See Appendix B.

New Doctoral Programs

Areas of Emphasis. Table 9 identifies the future doctoral degrees UT Dallas plans to request
for implementation over the next ten years. These new degree programs are expected to lead
to 29 new doctorate degrees per year in ten years and far more in the succeeding ten years as
the programs grow and mature.

When determining which degree programs to develop, UT Dallas considers local, regional,
state, and national student and job market demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job
outlook projections for 2008 are reviewed as is student enrollment at the state and national
levels. Although the national job market demand is not especially strong for mechanical and
chemical engineering, a shortfall in doctoral graduates exists in DFW and in Texas. As
illustrated by Table 9, UT Dallas plans to increase its doctoral programs predominantly in its
School of Natural Science and Mathematics, home to many of the University’s founding
programs, and the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, the fourth-
ranked graduate engineering school in Texas according to U.S. News & World Report
rankings of graduate programs. Many of the planned doctoral programs are supported by
existing strong undergraduate and master’s programs.

When considering new doctoral programs, UT Dallas gives heavy emphasis to programs that
are natural extensions of existing programs. Chemical engineering, for example, is relatively
easy to add given current strengths in chemistry and rapidly expanding capabilities in
materials science and engineering as well as developing expertise in biomedical engineering.
All of the programs in Table 9 have these types of natural connections to existing faculty
members and programs.

32 
 
 Table 9. Planned Future Doctoral Programs at UT Dallas.

National employment Projected

base and 10-yr trend, Graduates
Program Name Year Bur. Labor Statistics in 2019
Arts and Technology 2010 Data unavailable 4
Science/Math
Education 2010 Data unavailable 4
Mechanical
Engineering 2011 238,700; +6% 4
Educational
Administration 2012 445,400; +8% 5
Speech Pathology 2013 119,300; +19% 3
Biostatistics 2013 22,600; +~13% 2
Systems Engineering
and Management 2014 Data unavailable 2
Urban and Regional
Planning 2015 38,400; +19% 2
Communications 2015 Data unavailable 3
Chemical Engineering 2018 31,700; (-2%) NA
Biophysics 2017 15,600; +~21% NA
Environmental and ENV: 54,300; +31%
Civil Engineering 2019 CIV: 278,400; +24% NA

Atmospheric Science 2019 9,400; +15% NA

Actuarial Sciences 2019 19,700; +21% NA
TOTAL 29

As illustrated by Figure 5, UT Dallas has seen considerable growth in the number of

doctoral graduates in the past ten years. The University’s plan to add 14 more programs by
2019 is consistent with the past growth rate. The combined projected graduates for 2019
total 240 doctoral degrees awarded (211 from existing programs and 29 from new
programs).

33 
 
 Actual Projected

Figure 5. Numbers of Doctorates Awarded 2000-2001 to 2008-2009 and Projected to

2019-2020.

Assessment. Internal and external reviewers assess all UT Dallas academic programs
approximately every five years. UT Dallas’ Policy Memorandum 94-III.24-63, Academic
Program Review (http://provost.utdallas.edu/policy/utdpp1013), governs this periodic
review of academic programs and charges the review team to provide an “assessment of the
goals, plans, staffing, resources, existing and potential strengths…and those areas needing
improvement” to determine the program’s viability. The process includes a review team that
typically is composed of at least three individuals from other institutions that have programs
similar to those of the unit under review, at least two members from the UT Dallas faculty,
and a member of the program review committee who is not affiliated with the program being
reviewed. The review team evaluates the unit as requested by a written charge that instructs
them to “[e]valuate the quality, the effectiveness, and the efficiency of the undergraduate
and graduate curricula and the delivery of instruction,” as well as to evaluate the
appropriateness of its assessment plans and student learning outcomes.

In accordance with the guidelines and instructions issued by the provost, the unit undergoing
review prepares a comprehensive self-study document and sends it to the review team prior
to its on-campus visit. Before leaving the campus, the team holds exit interviews with the
unit’s faculty and administration, the provost, the president, and other appropriate senior
administrators. The review team summarizes its immediate impressions and provides a
forecast of its eventual written report. After the chair provides the provost with the final

34 
 
report, the unit under review provides its written response to the review team’s
recommendations and conclusions. The provost then prepares final recommendations to the
president to complete the review. In the years between reviews of the unit, the results of the
program review are used when making decisions on budget, staffing, curricular and degree
changes, and allocation of special resources.

In addition to the rigorous external periodic review of all doctoral programs, UT Dallas
regularly assesses each doctoral program using an institutional-wide online assessment tool.
This assessment report includes program mission statements, program-specific student
learning objectives, measures to achieve those objectives, findings that evaluate the criteria
of success, and future action plans to improve upon the findings. Faculty, program heads,
and deans use the assessment report to identify areas that need improvement and to make
necessary adjustments. Finally, UT Dallas uses the Coordinating Board’s 18 Characteristics
of Texas Public Doctoral Programs as a guide to assess the quality of its doctoral programs.

Regional Impact. UT Dallas’ strategic plan includes initiatives that reflect a substantial
responsibility to interface with the DFW Metroplex. To attain this goal, UT Dallas is
committed to establishing collaborative programs with UT Southwestern and UT Arlington.
The recently approved biomedical engineering degree is an example in such collaborative
efforts of the schools to transform the Metroplex into a global leader in biomedical research.
Likewise, the proposed PhD program in mechanical engineering will complement the
existing program at UT Arlington and will offer teams of researchers from both campuses
the opportunity to collaborate on proposals that will provide the region with a broader base
of expertise.

Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the world’s leaders in technology delivery businesses, including
aerospace, defense systems, information technology, micro and nano electronics,
telecommunications, and many others. There is a tremendous appetite for leading academic
research to produce discoveries and to provide the human talent needed. This appetite
extends across nearly all areas of physical sciences and engineering.

Additionally, the area is a fast-growing center for biotechnology, bioinformatics, medical

devices, and the life sciences and has 38 basic chemical manufacturing facilities, 32
pharmaceutical and medical facilities, 215 medical equipment and supply facilities, and 170
scientific R&D firms. With the selection of its future doctoral degree programs and research,
UT Dallas is well poised to meet the Metroplex’s needs and to help the entire region to
advance. The impact of this will be monitored internally by the Office of Research and the
schools and externally through industrial advisory boards and other such local partnerships.

35 
 
PLAN FOR FACULTY AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT
Faculty Research

UT Dallas already does much to encourage faculty to be productive, innovative, and

effective in their teaching and research. As the data presented earlier demonstrate, the
research productivity of those faculty members who are engaged in externally funded
research is already good. Strong research productivity is found elsewhere across the
University even where opportunities for funding are limited. For example, the School of
Management (SOM) is one of the nation’s most productive business schools in terms of
research. Recent rankings for SOM from 2009 include #1 professional part-time and #1
public executive MBA program in Texas (Business Week), #20 worldwide in faculty
research productivity (Financial Times), and #7 in number of publications in the journals of
Management Science and Operations Research. Also as indicated earlier in Table 2, the
production of doctorate degrees on a per-faculty-member basis compares very favorably
with the group of benchmark universities.

UT Dallas provides faculty members numerous opportunities to enhance their research,

teaching, and service through participation in institutional programs that promote
professional development. This support is expressed through a variety of programs and
policies encouraging faculty members to add to their knowledge, to contribute to the
expansion of understanding in their academic fields, to become more effective teachers, and
to enhance their pedagogy by making use of advanced technology. Specific faculty
development opportunities available at UT Dallas include special faculty development
assignments (SFDA), faculty leaves of absence, the faculty-mentoring program, new faculty
orientation, the University compliance programs, various programs sponsored by the Office
of Research, faculty resources for distance learning, and opportunities facilitated by the
Office of Educational Enhancement.
Faculty Recognition

The University has benefited from endowed professor and chair positions, many of which
have existed for many years. Sixty-two UT Dallas faculty members hold such positions with
twelve more positions currently unfilled. A complete list is in Appendix C. Further, funds
raised in September 2009 as part of the Texas Research Incentive Program (TRIP) are
expected to add approximately ten more endowed professorship and chair positions. Thus,
the sixty-two currently-filled positions, plus twelve currently open positions and
approximately 1tennew endowed positions, gives UT Dallas a total of eighty five endowed
chair and professorship positions. This puts UT Dallas in a position to offer endowed faculty
positions to 20% of its 419 tenured and on-track faculty members, which is a reasonable
percentage to be nationally competitive. The University must add approximately 40 to 50
new endowed positions over the next ten years to keep pace with the growth in faculty and
to maintain or enhance its percentage of faculty with endowed positions.

36 
 
Collaborations and Partnerships

Many UT Dallas faculty members have collaborations with leading academicians around the
world that have been developed on an individual level. There are also several applications at
the University level that are associated with research centers. Examples of collaborations
are:

 Advanced Imaging Center (AIC) – One of the most advanced medical imaging
centers in the world is located at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The AIC is built
on the expertise of scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center, UT Dallas and
UT Arlington. Many of the Center for BrainHealth faculty are associated with AIC.

 Biomedical Engineering PhD program – UT Dallas recently joined with UT

Southwestern and UT Arlington in offering a joint PhD to further serve the growing
need in biomedicine and bioengineering.

 FUSION (Future Semiconductor Commercialization) – $14M collaboration funded

by Korea Electronics Technology Institute, State of Texas, and industry to develop
next generation nano-structured materials and devices. Collaborating universities
include UT Southwestern Medical Center, UT Austin and UT Tyler.

 Medical Technologies Consortium – Texas Instruments, Texas Health Resources,

UT Dallas and UT Arlington have combined resources to fund seven research
projects to develop medical devices, where the projects are joint development
programs between UT Dallas and UT Arlington faculty members.

 Texas Schools Project/Texas Education Research Center – UT Dallas joined with a

group of 19 Texas school districts and educational research organizations in
founding the Texas Consortium on School Research. This project aims to allow
members from districts across the state to collaborate in building research capacity to
address critical issues to support improvement efforts.

 TxACE (Texas Analog Center of Excellence) – $16M collaboration funded by

industry and State of Texas to design next generation analog and high frequency
circuits. Universities involved in TxACE include UT Austin, Texas Tech, Texas
A&M, SMU, Arizona State University, Stanford, and others.

New Faculty

The plan to hire new faculty is discussed earlier, under “Plan to Increase Research Funding
and Productivity.” However, it should also be mentioned that in addition to hiring faculty
members into specific academic units, UT Dallas will also initiate a “cluster hiring” program
in which faculty members are recruited for major research centers regardless of their
academic discipline. For example, the Alan G. MacDiarmid Institute for Nanotechnology is
a highly successful center consisting of faculty members from several departments. UT

37 
 
Dallas will recruit talent into interdisciplinary fields through an interdisciplinary process that
compliments school-based recruiting.

Student Awards

The University of Texas at Dallas offers numerous student awards, with strong emphasis on
merit-based scholarships, awards to support undergraduate research, and numerous others
described earlier. These awards will expand in number and scope as UT Dallas grows.

Student Diversity in Doctoral Programs

The University of Texas at Dallas is fully committed to strong diversity programs aimed at
ensuring diversity within student, staff, and faculty ranks. An Office of Diversity and
Community Engagement was created in 2008, with a newly created vice president position
for leadership, to provide the programs and investments needed to accomplish the goal.
Newly created programs include a faculty-mentoring program and student-recruiting
program.

Table 10 summarizes the ethnicity of doctoral recipients of the past five years. UT Dallas,
like nearly all science- and engineering-focused institutions, has international doctoral
students making up a large percentage of those graduating from the institution. The
percentage of Hispanic and African-American students each stand at about 3% of the total.
UT Dallas will launch new programs to increase the flow of students into these programs.
This will principally be accomplished through more aggressive recruiting at local and
national meetings, partnerships with institutions who might supply UT Dallas with more
students who will strengthen diversity, fellowship programs, strong mentoring and
engagement programs on campus and within the community, and stronger communication
as part of the recruiting process.

Table 10. Summary of Diversity of Doctoral Recipients from FY05 – FY09.

Ethnicity Number Percent

Asian 33 5.2%
African-American 21 3.3 %
Hispanic 19 3%
International 330 52.2%
Native American 2 0.3%
White 227 35.9 %
TOTAL 632 100 %

38 
 
OTHER RESOURCES
Research Facilities

Research infrastructure is an important ingredient for a successful research university in

many ways. State-of-the-art infrastructure is an absolute necessity to carry out innovative
research, but it is also required to recruit the very best faculty, post-docs and students.
Because UT Dallas has a strong emphasis in the physical and life sciences and in
experimental engineering, there is a corresponding need for extensive research facilities.
There are the usual individual faculty research labs distributed across campus in their
departmental homes. In addition, the University has several unique facilities that have been
established to carry out research.

The most recently added research building on campus is the Natural Science and
Engineering Research Laboratory. The building is approximately 192,000 square feet and
provides laboratory space for approximately 40 different research groups across many
disciplines. The building is also home to many core facilities, including the 5000-square-
foot clean room for micro and nano device fabrication, the animal care facility, and the
nano-characterization facility, which includes two state-of-the-art transmission electron
microscopes, a dual beam focused ion beam system, and a time-of-flight secondary ion mass
spectrometer. The Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute houses equipment for imaging,
thermal and mechanical analysis, optical spectroscopy, and fuel cell testing and magnetic
property measurement. The TxACE analog design and testing lab is being built in the
Engineering North Building and will be home to the most complete analog testing facility in
the country, with the ability to measure signals from DC to a THz.

Another important shared research facility for the University is the Advanced Imaging
Center, which is physically located at UT Southwestern Medical Center. UT Dallas has
significant computational resources with several multi-core clusters on campus. Faculty can
access additional computational resources via the Texas Advanced Computer Center, which
can provide more than 575 TFlops.
Library Resources

UT Dallas has made significant improvements in the quality of library services and
collections over the past ten years. The size of the collections has been enhanced through
consortial purchasing and shared access to resources across the UT System. In addition, the
purchase of electronic collections of historic materials has increased the acquisition of older
materials.

In 2009, the McDermott Library housed 1,599,341 volumes, 2,828,765 microform units,
12,125 videos and DVDs, 26,938 maps, and 202,164 government documents. Perhaps more
importantly in this electronic age and given UT Dallas’ emphasis on technology, the
McDermott Library’s collection of electronic journals has grown to over 45,000. The library
also owns 593,106 electronic books and through the Web offers faculty and students access
to many more. The McDermott Library is a partial federal repository for federal and state
government documents. Although the collection totals at McDermott Library are still rising

39 
 
toward those at libraries that hold American Research Libraries (ARL) memberships, library
staff and faculty work closely to ensure that collections are adequate to support research in
existing and new programs.

The staff of the Eugene McDermott Library continually assesses the collection by
benchmarking themselves by discipline with other collections at peer institutions. The
library purchases books through direct selection by a team of liaison librarians in
consultation with faculty members, by systematic acquisition from an established approval
program, and from a variety of electronic book providers by means of collaborative
purchasing, subscription, and direct selection. In addition, the library employs electronic
means to license journal subscriptions and datasets. A University-wide library Committee
comprised of faculty, students, and library staff participates in collection development. The
committee is charged to review library procedures and policies, to assist and to promote
faculty and student participation in the selection of library resources, and to evaluate
holdings and make recommendations for their improvement. A library staff member is
assigned to each discipline and serves as a liaison to that program. The liaison works
directly with program faculty to acquire necessary books or journal subscriptions.

To support new degree programs, the library staff work directly with faculty on the library
materials and supported needed for new degree programs. The librarians use a number of
established means to determine the comprehensiveness of the Library’s resources including
books, journals, and other forms of information. The collection is evaluated against
materials owned by other university libraries that have strong programs comparable to the
one being proposed. Specifically, the librarians review the journals collection using the
Journal Citation Reports from the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) and review the
entire collection using OCLC’s World Collection Analysis software, which allows for a
direct comparison of UT Dallas’ collections to other selected libraries.

As part of their departmental assessment, the library uses LibQUAL, the library services
survey instrument developed by the Association of Research Libraries in partnership with
Texas A&M University to study the service needs and expectations of academic and
research library users. The library staff uses this feedback to improve the collections while
also identifying necessary facility and equipment upgrades.

UT Dallas is currently assessing its library status relative to the Association of Research
Libraries and the desirability of taking the steps necessary to qualify for ARL membership.
The University is fully committed to developing the library resources necessary to have a
leading library consistent with a national research university. The University is also
exploring unique ways to partner with the powerful library of UT Austin and other UT
System components to provide students with access to any material they might require but in
a very cost efficient manner. UT Dallas is committed to a highly efficient library that
focuses on making the maximum amount of material available to students and faculty
anytime and anywhere via electronic means and research tools. Further study is required to
define the criteria for ARL membership and relationships of those requirements to available
of resources from other UT System institutions such as UT Austin and UT Southwestern
Medical Center - Dallas.

40 
 
Graduate Student Support

In 2006, UT System formed a Task Force on Doctoral Education and the Post-doctoral
Experience with representatives from all UT System institutions. Commissioner Raymund
Paredes also met with the group to provide feedback on the Task Force’s report. Among the
recommendations offered was the imperative to increase monetary support of doctoral and
postdoctoral students. To this end, in 2008, UT System established the Graduate Programs
Initiative, a competitive grant program to support innovations in the education of non-
professional graduate students.

One of the issues that faces all Texas public universities is the challenge of providing
benefits such as health insurance to graduate research assistants. UT Dallas is in the process
of addressing this issue. It is also assessing its stipend rates for graduate students to ensure
competiveness, benchmarking against UT Austin and Texas A&M, as well as other
institutions such as those listed in Table 1. As external research funding increases, pressure
for internally funded support should subside, allowing UT Dallas to increase graduate
student support packages to a more competitive position. At present, the amount of graduate
student stipends ranges widely in dollar amount and competiveness, with the best position
being in the engineering school and the weakest position in high-demand science areas such
as biology.

NATIONAL VISIBILITY
UT Dallas’ strategic plan of 2007 had as one of its imperatives to “Tell our story better.”

Since then, the University has engaged in a carefully crafted, budget-efficient

communication campaign to focus attention on the excellence that has characterized UT
Dallas from its beginning and to draw attention to efforts to build upon that excellence.

Such excellence is already evidenced by the scholarship and research of UT Dallas faculty
members and students, and their appearances in the appropriate scholarly journals, academic
conferences and professional meetings, as well as their fine performances in national and
international competitions of an academic or scholarly nature. To offer just a sampling of
achievements of the past two years:

 Students have received Marshall, Goldwater, Fulbright, NIH and other prestigious
scholarships and grants.
 The University chess team won back-to-back world cup competitions and played the
first US-Cuba tournament in Cuba since the rise of Castro.
 The School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics hosted the American Geophysical
Union on campus.
 Faculty member Ray Baughman was named to the National Academy of
Engineering.
 Faculty members Anvar Zakhidov and Vladimir Agranovich were named American
Physics Society Fellows.

41 
 
  Staff member Keven Finneran, editor of ISSUES in Science and Technology, was
named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
 Jung-Mo Ahn, assistant professor of chemistry, received an $800,000 grant from the
newly formed Cancer Research Institute of Texas. UT Dallas was the only emerging
research university among the seven academic institutions designated by the
Coordinating Board to receive an award in this first round of funding.
 The School of Management was listed as a top 50 MBA program in US News &
World Report’s survey of graduate programs.
 The Audiology program in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences moved up in
US News rankings from 5th to 4th in the nation.

The challenge is to bring this established and growing excellence to wider notice, and in so
doing, elevate not only the University, but also the reputation of the State of Texas in the
research and higher education community.

UT Dallas embarked on meeting this imperative by creating News Center, a daily digital
news service that offers information about research and accomplishments of students and
faculty. In its first year, News Center published 577 stories, and the site registered 398,635
total views of the top 200 pages. Subscriptions in the two-year service’s life have grown to
more than 40,000—far beyond the campus population.

Many of the stories offered in the service are picked up nationally and through the focused
efforts of staff, others are placed. As a result, UT Dallas’ national news coverage increased
116% in one year, with 645 positive national news stories, including 14 appearances in The
Chronicle of Higher Education on subjects as diverse as Texas’ raids on other public
universities’ star faculty and UT Dallas undergrads besting of Bill Gates in their more-
efficient solution of “the pancake problem,” a longtime mathematical conundrum Gates
worked on in his college years. This campaign is ongoing, and some of its results can be
viewed online at www.utdallas.edu/news. In addition to this service, specific schools have
created or participated in programs, competitions for funding or events to spread news of
their achievements and expertise, including the following:

 The School of Management designed its own survey, the Top 100 Business School
Research Rankings, which typically nets national and international placement in
publications including Business Week, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.

 The Callier Center for Communication Disorders created the Callier Prize, a
biennially awarded recognition of the greatest achievement worldwide in the in
research or treatment of communication disorders.

The University has also created an “Experts Guide” to UT Dallas faculty that markets
individual faculty to journalists and others who seek informed comment on an array of
subject areas. This is available at http://www.utdallas.edu/experts/.

The creation of the Tier One legislation opened the way for discussion of the aspirations of
this University and others in the state for greater service to the state and students through

42 
 
increased stature. In 2008, more than 170 print news stories or editorials regarding the pros
and cons of Tier One mentioned UT Dallas. This discussion alone is valuable in creating
heightened awareness of the University’s and the State’s aspirations. The pursuit of
qualification as a recognized member of the Tier One cohort provides a platform and a
rationale for launching messages not only about UT Dallas but also North Texas and the
State as a whole, and its commitment to being nationally competitive in the arena of
research funding and venture capital attraction to Texas, and particularly North Texas.
The University has given equal attention to building up its recruitment marketing efforts.
Using only the resources already devoted to these efforts, the University strategically revised
its communication stream to reach a geographically broader group of prospective students
across the nation and the state, expanding recruitment efforts into markets hitherto untapped,
and in doing so, expanding the number of individuals across the nation who are aware of the
University.

PERIODIC REVIEW
The University of Texas at Dallas reviews progress toward strategic goals on an annual
basis. Each year, the president reports progress to students, faculty, and staff on progress
toward goals, as well as to the UT System as part of the annual review of the president. Key
benchmark parameters are emphasized, along with progress toward meeting strategic goals.
 
The University will continue this process and every three to five years conduct a
comprehensive assessment of its strategic plan. Progress will be assessed, goals re-
evaluated, and priorities re-established. As in the past, it is anticipated that the entire campus
community will be engaged in this process and participate in creating any revisions to the
strategic plan. The Faculty Senate, Student Government, and Staff Council are particularly
important in providing input to the planning process.
 

NATIONAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITY FUND (NRUF) CRITERIA

The passage in November 2009 of an amendment to the Texas Constitution created the
National Research University Fund (NRUF). This endowment will ultimately provide
additional funding for qualifying institutions that are currently emerging research
universities, including UT Dallas.

The Coordinating Board is in the process of specifying criteria, which are generally
described in House Bill 51, for eligibility to receive funds from NRUF. This section briefly
summarizes the context of this strategic plan with regard to these parameters.

The criteria to determine eligibility for the NRUF involve these seven areas:

1. Restricted research expenditures must be at least $45 million per year for the
previous biennium. In FY2009, UT Dallas had $37 million in restricted research
expenditures. Given rapid growth in research resulting from the hiring of a number
of outstanding faculty members (see Table 5 for examples), UT Dallas expects to

43 
 
 reach and sustain the $45 million threshold as early as FY2010, and if not in
FY2010, then almost certainly by FY2011 or FY2012. The ten-year goal for
restricted research expenditures, which is consistent with recent growth in research,
is annual expenditures for restricted research of $70 million per year.

2. The value of the institution’s endowment must be at least $400 million. The current
endowment for UT Dallas is approximately $230 million, including funds in hand
and awaiting deposit in permanent endowment but not including funds in the
Permanent University Fund (PUF), from which significant allocations are directed
annually to UT Dallas.

On September 1, 2009, UT Dallas raised $17 million of gift funds, which qualified
for more than $15 million of matching funds from the Texas Research Incentive
Program (TRIP), making for a total of $32 million. The Dallas-Fort Worth region has
supported UT Dallas. As UT Dallas alumni increase in numbers and over time
achieve greater success, alumni giving should grow exponentially. In response to
these opportunities, UT Dallas has greatly expanded its development staff over the
past three years and has practices in place to raise even more funds in the future. The
goal of $400 million in endowment, plus PUF funds, in ten years, is believed to be
very realistic given the University’s situation and commitment to fund raising.

3. The institution must award at least 200 doctor of philosophy degrees per year. This
strategic plan presents a detailed plan for increasing the number of doctor of
philosophy degrees. The strategy involves continued growth of the University and its
doctorate programs to produce at least 240 doctorates per year in 10 years. The goal
of at least 200 doctor of philosophy degrees per year awarded for the previous
biennium should be reached within 10 years.

4. The entering freshman class must have demonstrated high academic achievement.
UT Dallas already enjoys a high quality freshmen class and one that compares very
favorably with the best public universities in Texas and many of the best in the
nation. The University has grown and will continue to grow while maintaining a high
priority on the quality and diversity of its freshman class.

5. The institution must be designated as a member of the Association of Research

Libraries, have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter, or have received similar recognition of
research capabilities. The University recognizes the need to continue to grow its
library and move toward meeting the criteria consistent with major research
university libraries. However, efficiency is important for all universities, and UT
Dallas intends to leverage the considerable assets of its sister institutions, such as UT
Austin and UT Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas, to ensure top-of-class access
to library materials in a very cost efficient manner. The leverage of UT System
libraries is a major asset for UT Dallas and other component institutions of the
System. The UT Dallas library budget for the next ten years includes plans not only
to expand library volumes and journals, but also to expand staff that can assist
students and researchers. UT Dallas submitted an application for Phi Beta Kappa in

44 
 
 fall 2009. UT Dallas will continue to pursue other forms of recognition of research
capability.

6. The faculty must be of high quality, as determined by Coordinating Board standards

based on achievement and recognition of faculty members. As UT Dallas continues
to expand and recruit new faculty members, its faculty is getting even stronger. UT
Dallas is one of only a few universities in Texas that has on its faculty at least one
Nobel Laureate as well as elected members of the National Academy of Sciences and
National Academy of Engineering. As indicated in Table 2, UT Dallas already ranks
favorably with major national research universities in terms of doctorates awarded
per year per faculty member. UT Dallas already has many endowed faculty
positions, and is rapidly increasing the number of endowed chairs and
professorships, which will assist with recruiting. With expansion, the faculty will
continue to get even better and to receive even greater recognition for quality.

7. The institution must have demonstrated a commitment to high-quality graduate

education, including number of graduate-level programs at the institution, the
institution’s admission standards for graduate education, and the level of institutional
support for graduate students. The University of Texas at Dallas, which began as a
graduate institution, has emphasized graduate education from its inception. No
change in culture or direction is needed to sustain high-quality graduate education,
although offering competitive compensation and benefits remains a challenge for UT
Dallas and other Texas public research universities.

A university need not meet all seven of the NRUF criteria listed above. However, it is UT
Dallas’ goal to meet all seven and to do so as quickly as possible. The University believes
that it already meets some of them, and this plan describes actions that will lead to meeting
all seven criteria in less than ten years.

SUMMARY
 
The University of Texas at Dallas has been on a path since its inception to become a major
national research university. The institution began as a graduate research institution and
gradually expanded to include juniors and seniors, and in 1990 began admitting freshmen.
The institutional profile is one of a high-quality undergraduate student body, faculty who are
engaged in research and who are highly productive, and an institutional commitment over a
long period of time to become a major research university.

To achieve its goals, the University needs to continue to grow, adding more students,
faculty, staff, degree programs, buildings, endowment, etc. This growth will not require a
change in direction. The quantitative goals set for the next ten years reflect a continuation of
trends from the past ten years. The institution needs and plans to retain its focus and make
investments strategically, consistent with this plan, to achieve the stated goals.

The business model for growth is sound. As more students are added, more resources will
become available to hire faculty and to expand the institution. The University is not relying

45 
 
heavily on the State of Texas or the UT System PUF to fund its building program. The
conservative assumption is made for financial forecasting that only one new building each
from the State of Texas and from the PUF will be realized over the next ten years.

Growth will create an even better institution for students, providing new degree programs,
courses, instructors, student activities, guest lectures, and a myriad of opportunities both
intellectual and social.

Table 11 summarizes the key quantitative goals for the next ten years for UT Dallas.

Not quantifiable, but very important, are several other essential priorities. These include:

 Contributing to “Closing the Gaps” goals for Texas.

 Diversifying the student body and faculty to better mirror the demographics of
Texas.

 Better engaging alumni in supporting UT Dallas and its students.

 Ensuring access to qualified Texas students, regardless of financial abilities.

 Forming strategic partnerships and alliances with other institutions in DFW

(especially UT Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas and UT Arlington) as well as
with schools, foundations, and other organizations.

 Adding value to our community through activities such as teacher preparation,

commercialization of technologies, continuing education, K-12 outreach programs to
students, the arts, and others.

46 
 
 Table 11. Summary of UT Dallas’10-Year Strategic Goals.

AREA PARAMETER FALL 2009 IN 10 YEARS

Students Total Enrollment 15,783 22,000
FTE Enrollment 12,123 17,000
Freshman SAT (1600 max.) 1225 1250
Top 10% Students (Freshmen) 38% 55%
National Merit Scholars 41 75
4-year Graduation Rate 39% 47%
6-year Graduation Rate 61% 72%

Faculty Tenured and Tenure-Track 419 610

Faculty w/ Externally Funded
Research 158 300
Percent of Tenure, Tenure-
Track Faculty w/ Externally
Funded Research 38% 49%

Research Total R&D $ 66M $130M

Restricted R&D $ 37M $ 70M
Federal R&D $ 26M $ 50M

Doctoral Number of Doctoral Programs 30 44

Programs Annual Graduates 124 240

Other National Academy Members 4 10

Annual Giving $14M $50M
Endowment $250M + PUF $400M + PUF
Academic and Research Space 1.7M sq ft 2.5 M sq ft

47 
 
 APPENDIX A. COORDINATING BOARD GUIDELINES FOR
STRATEGIC PLAN

Guidelines for the Strategic Plan for Research

In accordance with Chapter 5, Subchapter G of Coordinating Board rules, a

research university or an emerging research university as designated in the Board’s
accountability system must develop a long-term strategic plan for achieving
recognition as a research university or enhance the institution’s reputation as a
research university.

NOTE: Wherever possible and applicable, state the goals for each of the following
items and identify the objectives in measurable terms. Describe how and when the
institution will assess progress towards the goals and objectives.

I. Vision Statement
The institution’s plan should address, at a minimum, the following
elements:

A. A description of the targeted status of the institution. What kind of

university will the institution be if it achieves its goals and objectives?
B. Is the plan for the future a natural expansion of the institution’s
existing mission, or does it reflect a substantial change in direction?

II. Plan to Increase Research Funding and Productivity

The institution’s plan to enhance research activities should address, at a
minimum, the following elements:

A. External funding. Identify the institution’s targets and how progress

will be monitored. Include comparisons with national peers.
B. Research priorities. Define and describe the institution’s targeted
research priorities. Describe where and how the institution will focus
its efforts.
C. Allocation of resources. Estimate the budget necessary to achieve the
targeted goals and describe how the institution will utilize funds, staff
resources, facilities, and other assets to maximize its efforts.
D. Student participation. Describe how the institution will enhance
student opportunities to participate in research activities at the
graduate and undergraduate levels.

48 
 
 III. Plan to Improve Undergraduate Education
The institution’s plan should address, at a minimum, the following
elements:

A. Describe the institution’s plan to strengthen and improve the quality

of undergraduate education, including the student profile.
B. Describe what the institution is doing to increase the number of
baccalaureate degrees awarded, particularly in the critical fields
identified in Closing the Gaps by 2015.

IV. Plan for Doctoral Programs

1. Existing Doctoral Programs

The institution’s plan for existing doctoral programs should address, at a
minimum, the following elements:

A. Summary of existing programs. Using past reviews, provide an

evaluation of the institution’s existing doctoral programs and how they
fit into the institution’s near-term and long-range plans. Include an
assessment of strengths and weaknesses.
B. Quality control. Describe plans to close, consolidate, and/or improve
existing doctoral programs with low graduation rates (based on
Coordinating Board standards for low-productivity) or that do not
meet other standards of excellence.
C. Quality enhancement. Describe plans to raise the level of existing
doctoral programs from the level of strength to the level of national
prominence.
D. Comparisons with national peers. For programs the institution plans to
retain, identify nationally-ranked programs against which each of the
institution’s existing doctoral programs will be benchmarked.

2. New Doctoral Programs

The institution’s plan for new doctoral programs should address, at a
minimum, the following elements:
A. Areas of emphasis. Identify the areas the institution plans to focus on
in the development of new doctoral programs. Emphasis should be
placed on high-need areas, such as STEM, with sufficient
documentation to support selection decisions. The plan should also
demonstrate how the institution will build upon existing strengths.
B. Assessment. Provide a plan for the rigorous, periodic review of
proposed programs using external evaluators.

49 
 
 C. Regional Impact. If applicable, describe the ways in which the
development of doctoral programs and enhancement of research will
enable the institution to better meet the needs of the region it serves
and explain how the institution will monitor and assess its impact.

V. Plan for Faculty and Student Development

The institution’s plan for faculty and student development should
address, at a minimum, the following elements:

A. Faculty research. Describe plans to assist faculty in becoming more

productive, more innovative, and more effective in their work.
B. Faculty recognition. Describe plans to assist faculty in achieving
recognition as leaders in their field.
C. Collaborations and Partnerships. Describe plans to foster cooperative
efforts amongst faculty at the institution and with faculty of other
institutions.
D. New faculty. Describe plans to recruit additional faculty who can
contribute to the institution’s goal of maintaining or achieving national
recognition.
E. Student awards. Describe initiatives to increase the number and
prestige of undergraduate and graduate student competitive research
awards.
F. Student Diversity. Describe plans to recruit and graduate doctoral
students who can contribute to the State’s goal of diversity in Closing
the Gaps. Indicate the institution’s contributions to the development
of a future professoriate that reflects the population of Texas.

VI. Other Resources

The institution’s plan should address, at a minimum, the following
elements:

A. Research facilities. Describe significant projected additions to the

institution’s facilities related specifically to research, including
timelines for completion.
B. Library resources. Describe plans to enhance the libraries, including
facilities, equipment, digital resources, and collections. Describe
specifically how the plans to enhance library resources are related to
improving existing doctoral programs and supporting new doctoral
programs.

50 
 
 C. Graduate student support. Describe plans to provide competitive
financial support to graduate students including teaching
assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships for the
targeted doctoral programs identified in the strategic plan.

VII. National Visibility

Identify any existing or projected programs and resources, not already
identified above, to increase the national visibility and research
reputation of your institution.

51 
 
 Appendix B. Benchmark (Peer) Doctoral Programs.
Doctoral Program
Humanities
Humanities Aesthetics
Humanities Literary Studies
Humanities History of Ideas
Audiology
Cognition & Neuroscience
Communication Sciences and
Disorders
Psychological Sciences
Criminology
Economics
Geospatial Information Science
Benchmark Institutions
Univ of California - Irvine; Culture and Theory
Univ of California – Santa Cruz; History of
Consciousness
Carnegie Mellon University; Literary and Cultural
Studies
Univ of California - Irvine; Culture and Theory
Univ of California – Santa Cruz; History of
Consciousness
Carnegie Mellon University; Literary and Cultural
Studies
Univ of California - Irvine; Culture and Theory
Univ of California – Santa Cruz; History of
Consciousness
Carnegie Mellon University; Literary and Cultural
Studies
Univ of California - Irvine; Culture and Theory
Univ of California – Santa Cruz; History of
Consciousness
Carnegie Mellon University; Literary and Cultural
Studies
University of Iowa
Univ of Florida
Univ of Texas at Austin
University of California at Irvine
University of Massachussetts
University of North Carolina
University of Florida
Arizona State Univ
Univ of Pittsburgh
University of Oregon
Univ of California at Santa Cruz
University of California at Santa Barbara
Univ of South Florida
Arizona State
Univ of South Carolina
Univ of Missouri - Columbia
Univ of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Florida State
No comparable established programs
Traditional Geography Programs with some GIS:
Ohio State
Penn State
Univ of California - Santa Barbara
52 
 Stony Brook Univ
Political Science Univ of California - Davis
Univ of Georgia
George Mason
Public Policy Georgia Tech
Univ of Maryland - College Park
Univ of Georgia
Public Affairs Univ of Texas LBJ School
Univ of Indiana
Duke Univ
Biomedical Engineering Johns Hopkins
UC San Diego
Univ of Illinois UC
Computer Engineering Virginia Tech
Arizona State Univ
Penn State
Computer Science Ohio State
Arizona State
Georgia Tech
Electrical Engineering Univ of Maryland
North Carolina State
Georgia Tech
Microelectronics Univ of Maryland
North Carolina State
Univ Illinois UC
Materials Science & Engineering Stanford
Rutgers
Carnegie Mellon
Software Engineering UT Austin

Arizona
Telecommunications Engineering Michigan State
Oklahoma State
Univ of Iowa
Management Science Georgia Tech Univ
Purdue Univ
Univ of Iowa
International Management Studies Georgia Tech Univ
Purdue Univ
Arizona State Univ
Molecular & Cell Biology Colorado State Univ
Univ of California - San Diego
Univ of Delaware
Chemistry Clemson
Univ of Nebraska, Lincoln

53 
 
 Univ of Oregon (Eugene)
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Geosciences
Univ of Nevada Reno
Univ at Buffalo
Univ of Mass.- Amherst
Georgia Institute of Technology
Applied Mathematics
Rutgers Univ
Boston Univ
Indiana Univ
Statistics Texas A&M Univ
Washington Univ in St Louis
Virginia Tech
Physics Northeastern
Univ of New Mexico

54 
 
 Appendix C. Faculty Recognition: Endowed Professorships and Chairs

Title of Endowment Appointee

Administrative
Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair Of Leadership Daniel, David
Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair Of Academic Leadership Wildenthal, Hobson

School of Arts and Humanities

Margaret M. McDermott Distinguished Chair Of Art And Aesthetic Brettell, Richard
Studies
Arts And Humanities Distinguished Chair Linehan, Thomas
Arts And Humanities Chair Open
Chair Of Art And Aesthetic Studies Endowment Rodriguez, Robert
Hillel A. Feinberg Chair Of Holocaust Studies Patterson, David
Leah And Paul Lewis Chair Of Holocaust Studies Ozsvath, Zsuzsanna
Anne Stark Watson And Chester Watson History Professorship Edmunds, W. David
Endowment
Ignacy And Celina Rockover Professorship Kratz, Dennis
Katherine R. Cecil Professorship In Foreign Languages Schulte, Rainer
Founders Professor Turner, Frederick
Ashbel Smith Professor Nadin, Mihai

School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

T. Boone Pickens Distinguished University Chair In Clinical Brain Open
Science
University Distinguished Chair in Behavioral and Brain Science Park, Denise
Dee Wyly Distinguished Chair For BrainHealth Chapman, Sandra
Jane And Bud Smith Distinguished Chair Hart, John
Nelle C. Johnston Chair In Communication Disorders In Children Tobey, Emily
Emilie And Phil Schepps Distinguished Professorship Of Hearing Open
Science
Aage And Margareta Moller Endowed Professorship In Behavioral And O'Toole, Alice
Brain Sciences
Aage And Margareta Moller Endowed Professorship In Behavioral And Open
Brain Sciences
Howard B. And Lois C. Wolf Endowed Professorship For Pediatric Roeser, Ross
Hearing
Sara T. Martineau Endowed Professorship At The Callier Center For Open
Communication Disorders UT Dallas
Cecil H. And Ida Green Chair In Systems Biology Science #3 Hart, John
Margaret F. Jonsson Professor Moller, Aage
Founders Professor Bower, Thomas
Ashbel Smith Professor Jerger, Susan

55 
 
 Ashbel Smith Professor Underwood, Marion

Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science

Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair In Nanoelectronics Chabal, Yves
Texas Instruments Distinguished Chair O, Kenneth
Distinguished Chair In Microelectronics Gnade, Bruce
Distinguished Chair In Telecommunications Hansen, John
Louis Beecherl, Jr., Endowed Distinguished Chair In Engineering Open
Excellence In Education Chair In The Erik Jonsson School Of Spong, Mark
Engineering And Computer Science #1
Excellence In Education Chair In The Erik Jonsson School Of Bastani, Farokh
Engineering And Computer Science #2
Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair In Electrical Engineering Spong, Mark
Cecil H. And Ida Green Professor In Systems Biology Science #2 Loizou, Philipos
Cecil H. And Ida Green Chair In Systems Biology Science #1 Vidyasagar, M.
Founders Professor Sudborough, Ivan
Ashbel Smith Professor Chandrasekaran, R.

School of Economics, Political and Policy Sciences

Lloyd V. Berkner Professor Berry, Brian
John Kain Professorship Of Economics Open
Vibhooti Shukla Professor Of Economics And Political Economy Sandler, Todd
Ashbel Smith Professor Clarke, Harold
Ashbel Smith Professor Eckel, Catherine
Ashbel Smith Professor Griffith, Daniel

School of Management
Andrew R. Cecil Chair In Applied Ethics Dess, Gregory
Caruth Chair Pirkul, Hasan
Eugene McDermott Chair Open
Dallas World Salute Distinguished Professorship In Global Strategy Open
Charles And Nancy Davidson Distinguished Professorship In Ali, Ashiq
Accounting
Charles And Nancy Davidson Distinguished Professorship In Mookerjee, Vijay
Information Systems
Charles And Nancy Davidson Distinguished Professorship In Operations Sethi, Suresh
Management
Charles And Nancy Davidson Distinguished Professorship In Marketing Ratchford, Brian
Founders Professor Rao, Ram
Ashbel Smith Professor Cready, William
Ashbel Smith Professor Jacob, Varghese
Ashbel Smith Professor Liebowitz, Stanley
Ashbel Smith Professor Mauer, David

56 
 
 Ashbel Smith Professor Rebello, Michael
Ashbel Smith Professor Sarkar, Sumit
Ashbel Smith Professor Stecke, Katherine
Ashbel Smith Professor Sriskandarajah,
Chelliah

School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

C. L. And Amelia A. Lundell Professorship Of Life Sciences Open
The Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair In Chemistry #2 Smith, Dennis
The Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair In Chemistry #1 Baughman, Ray
Cecil H. And Ida Green Professor In Systems Biology Science #3 Efromovich, Samuel
James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair In Science And Technology Open
Cecil H. And Ida Green Distinguished Chair In Systems Biology Science Sherry, A. Dean
#1
Cecil H. And Ida Green Distinguished Chair In Systems Biology Science Zhang, Michael
#2
Cecil H. And Ida Green Distinguished Chair In Systems Biology Science Zhang, Li
#3
Cecil H. And Ida Green Chair In Systems Biology Science #2 Heelis, Roderick
Cecil H. And Ida Green Professor In Systems Biology Science #1 Spiro, Stephen
Cecil H. And Ida Green Professor In Systems Biology Science #4 Open
Ida M. Green Professor McMechan, George

57